Wine: Quinta de Ventozelo Douro Reserva 2000
Closure: Natural cork stopper 49x24 mm
Quality: “Flor” (best quality)
One of the top 100 selected Wine Spectator wine’s – December 2005

Technical Information

Grape Varietals
Mainly the five classic Port varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, all from Quinta de Ventozelo

Vinification
 The fermentation and maceration take place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature during 8 to 10 days, without de-stemming.

Maturation
Barrel-Ageing: 100% in new American oak barrels for 12 months.
Filtration: None. Bottled  at Quinta de Ventozelo.
Bottle-Ageing: a minimum of 6 months in the bottle before it is released to the market.

Tasting Notes
Appearance: Excellent concentration of cherry red colour.
Nose: Nice aromatic scent, strong but elegant, with a good presence of terroir in the mineral notes and ripe fruit aromas.
Mouth: Round mature tannins, full bodied with character and an elegant silky finish

Suggestions
Cellarage: Store bottles on their sides in a cool place (12º C to 14º C) away from direct light.
Pouring: Serve at 17ºC -18º C. Uncork 2 hours before serving and decant.
Drinking: Ready to drink when released, it has the potential to mature and develop fot at least 10 years after the harvest.
Pairing: Serve with strong dishes and game, especially wild boar and partridge.

Total Production
10 000 bottles
Alc/vol: 12,50%
Total Acidity: 6.00 g/l
PH  3.46

History

The Quinta de Ventozelo is one of the oldest and most extensive properties in the Douro region in Portugal.  At the centre of Cima Corgo, overlooking Pinhão, the whole property is classified as Grade A. For many years, it has been producing Port wines in bulk, supplying many reputable firms in Vila Nova de Gaia with wines for their leading brands. Under a new ownership since 1999, the Quinta de Ventozelo has now started a new venture. In the past, many of the international award-wining Port wines had been made from grapes grown in Quinta de Ventozelo. Such a successful past led the current owners to produce wines under their own brand name. Quinta de Ventozelo is, therefore, new in terms of marketing, but old in tradition and success. The Quinta is very old: in its files there are documents describing its extension as far back as   1806.

The map of Barron of Forrester, dating back to 1848, also refers to Quinta de Ventozelo. It describes a village called Ventozelo, located in the area currently occupied by the property, whose inhabitants paid the royal tributes with wine, due to its well-known quality. The origins of the Quinta are linked to the labour the Cistercians monks and to their important contribution to the organization and the cultivation of land in the Douro at the beginning of the Portuguese nation.

During the Middle Ages, and in parallel to their spiritual action, the Cistercians monasteries of the Southern Douro contributed to the valorisation of the land thanks to their agricultural and wine production. Later on, in the 16th century, the property was owned by the group Pazo de Lamego, and after that,  it belonged to the Companhia Vitícola, Vinícola e Agrícola de Ventozelo, until it was acquired by the current owners.