This wine is made from 30-year-old Arinto vines and centuries-old Bical and Cercial vines. It is a different approach to these grapes and an expression of the region's clayey-calcareous soils and Atlantic climate. The 2018 vintage is characterized by a more complex and creamy profile, but with the usual lightness and freshness.
The year 2018 was characterized by being relatively cool in winter, spring and summer, despite the rapid heat wave that hit August. The high thermal amplitudes of the area and the cool nights of the Bairrada made it possible to obtain a wine with freshness, texture and complexity.
Deep minerality on the nose with notes of rock chips and gunpowder. Nice citrus notes wrapped in hints of butter and spices that add complexity. In the mouth it is quite creamy, but also fresh and light. Great texture and a very long finish. Excellent with soft cheeses, cod, squid and white meat.
- Vintage: 2018
- Production area: Bairrada
- Terroir: Deep clay rock with lime deposits
- Grape varieties: Arinto (80%), Bical and Cercial (20%)
- Vinification: pressing of whole bunches, fermentation with native yeasts. Bical and Cercial ferment in used barrels and Arinto in vats. Spontaneous malolactic fermentation.
- Alcohol content: 12.5% vol.
- pH: 3.30
- Total acid: 5.5 g/l
- Residual sugar: 2.5 g/l
- Aging: 12 months on the fine lees and aging in the bottle.
- Contains sulphites
The story of Nuno is similar to the story of many young talented Portuguese oenologists with a vision and a dream. He belongs to the first generation in Portugal who have learned winemaking, the so-called oenology, and who see their country as a kind of playground. Salazar's dictatorship "frozen" the country for several decades, leading to national bankruptcy and eventual Troika control. But the Portuguese are fighters and freed themselves from this unsatisfactory situation on their own. When it comes to wine, the country has hardly specialized in the many internationally successful, mostly French grape varieties, but concentrates primarily on its own countless autochthonous grape varieties. In fact, Portugal has the largest selection of autochthonous grape varieties in the world. This is exactly what Nuno and his partner are interested in.
Together with João Corrêa he worked for several years as an oenologist for the Companhia das Quintas until one day he met João Soares from the Caves Messias. Together, the two decided to make a red wine from the Baga vine in Bairrada and that is how the project, or rather the Alías wine, was born. They then decided to make a white wine from the Encruzado vine in the Dão, the Druid. Both wines are so-called "Garage Wines", which are produced in very small quantities.
With the Mira, Nino wants to show the potential of the terroir of the Bucelas region and the Arinto grape. A nice coincidence that Nino's last name is Mira do Ó and "Mira" translated into German means "to show". A very apt play on words for this naming.
Manufacturer address: C2O Lda. Rua Professor Francisco Gentil, 16 - 4oE, 1600-236 Lisboa, Portugal
