Quinta da Lixa Aromas das Castas 2016 Front Bottle Shot
Quinta da Lixa Aromas das Castas 2016 Front Bottle Shot Quinta da Lixa Aromas das Castas 2016 Front Label

Winemaker Notes

Quinta da Lixa's Aromas das Castas white wine is a harmonious blend of Alvarinho and Trajadura grape from Portugal's Vinho Verde sub-region of Moncao and Melgaco. The Alvarinho grape variety is one of the least productive in the world. Look for hints of stone fruits such as peaches. This variety also has notes of orange blossom, giving elegance and complexity to the whole. The Trajadura grape variety enhances the body and long finish, with fruity hints of pear. The perfect combination of two of the noblest grape varieties in the Vinho Verde Region.

Professional Ratings

  • 92
    At one point in our tasting cycle, our panel tasted a dozen 2016 Vinho Verdes and recommended three of them; all three were made by Quinta da Lixa, and all overdelivered at their price. This one is richly fruited, with notes of fresh peach and deeper tones of papaya. It’s dry and flinty, a little briskness added by some CO2, refreshing and just dressy enough for a summer wedding.
Quinta da Lixa

Quinta da Lixa

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With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.

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Vinho Verde

Portugal

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A cheerful, translucid, lemon-yellow and slightly pétillant white wine, Vinho Verde literally means ‘green wine’ and is named after the northwest Portugese region from which it originates. The ‘green’ in the name refers to the youthful state in which the wines are customarily released and consumed, not the color of the wine.

It is typically a blend of various percentages of Alvarinho, Loureiro, Trajadura, and Pedernã (Arinto). Following initial alcoholic fermentation, a natural, secondary malolactic conversion in cask produces carbon dioxide, giving Vinho Verde its charmingly light sparkle.

CRW7369_2016 Item# 359443