ESPORÃO EXCELS IN SUSTAINABILITY

The family-owned Portuguese producer has always been on a mission to make quality wines. These days, it cares just as much about the environment

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“We also believe in the balance between farming and wildlife. For example, on our southern property we have 2,000 hectares and two thirds of it we have left untouched to protect the wildlife. This is a huge part of our sustainable approach.”

This policy has led to a healthy population of birds and bats, both of which keep the insects under control. “One of the many roles of our biologists is to analyse the bats’ excrement,” explains Vieira, “just to check what the bats are eating, to make sure the balance is all there.”

Water preservation is also vital. Vieira says: “We calculated that for every litre of wine, we were wasting roughly five litres of water, and we have now gone to roughly 1.3 litres of water per litre of wine.”

He adds: “Global warming is definitely affecting us. Twenty years ago we would be starting harvest in the first week of September, but now we start the first week of August. That is a clear indicator that it’s getting hotter and drier, and the maturation cycle is slightly shorter. If you have the indigenous varieties that are adapted to the heat then you are able to continue to produce fantastic fruit.”

Esporão has 10 hectares of vineyard planted with 189 varieties. “This gives us a lot of data, and it’s because of this information that we are able to focus on the varieties that give us most assurance.”

1 Esporão Reserva Organic Red

Probably the most important wine for the company, because it was the first wine that we produced in 1985. The blend is mostly focused on Aragonez and Trincadeira, which together make up 60% of the blend. They complement each other. Alicante Bouschet is only a small percentage of the wine but it delivers a lot of black fruit, cherries and, with ageing, some cassis and liquorice. Cabernet Sauvignon lends a lovely peppery spicy note. This flagship blend is fermented and aged in American oak barrels.

2 Ameal Loureiro

This wine is from our Quinta do Ameal in the sub-region of Lima, the birthplace of Loureiro. Citrus-driven, fresh and with good intensity, it can age for a long time and can be compared to old Rieslings. We only grow Loureiro at this property and we produce three wines, using three different vessels (including concrete eggs and barrels). This is the purest version because we use stainless steel, so there’s hardly any interference versus the other two.

3 Quinta dos Murças Minas

In the Douro we have separated our property into four terroirs. Minas is heavily influenced by five springs that help cool the area. This vineyard is south-facing, reaching 350m and vertically planted, so all the grapes are hand-harvested. We foot-tread in lagares; it is the optimum way to extract colour and flavour. Minas is all about freshness. It’s a really clean, crisp wine with vibrant red fruits. We want people to understand its elegant style in its youth but with a tremendous ageing potential.

Champagne Louis Roederer Collection 243 NV

The Collection series relies on a “perpetual reserve” that’s enriched every year with wines from the latest harvest “to create a template of infinite complexity, freshness and energy”. This one is based largely on 2018, and it’s a gorgeous, multi-layered delight for all the senses, with a salty minerality on the finish.

RRP: £60 ABV: 12%

Maisons Marques et Domaines (020 8812 3380) mmdltd.com

Gecaj Estate Owner’s Choice Vranc 2017

Fine Wines Direct believes that its import deal with Stone Castle Vineyards represents the first UK agency agreement with a Kosovan winery. Vranc is a Balkan variety, and it’s far smoother and more easygoing than the recent history of that region, with gentle forest fruit notes and a sprinkling of cinnamon.

RRP: £47.99 ABV: 13.5%

Fine Wines Direct UK (029 2078 7500) finewinesdirectuk.com

Les Argelières Viognier 2021

Languedoc winemaker Marilyn Lasserre’s brief is to bring out the true character of the varieties she works with, and she’s ticked all the boxes with this peachy, apricot-tinged Viognier. We’ve all tasted Viognier that plays these cards rather too enthusiastically, but Lasserre has maintained elegance (the vineyards are on hilly sites) as well as fruit concentration.

RRP: £9.49 ABV: 13%

Cachet Wine (01482 638877) cachetwine.co.uk

De Bortoli Regional Reserve Pinot Noir 2021

Most of us are on a mission to find affordable Pinot Noir that tastes of ... well, Pinot Noir. This Yarra Valley example, from the sure-footed De Bortoli, hits the mark with its soft plum and cherry fruit and subtle spice. We’d have forgiven it a few rough edges – they might even add to the fun – but it’s polished and professional.

RRP: £13.49 ABV: 13.5%

North South Wines (020 3871 9210 ) northsouthwines.co.uk

Here & There Malbec 2022

South Africa famously produces wines that are great value for money, and Boutinot’s own Cape range seems crazily inexpensive, even by those standards. This one, from Swartland, is the definitive crowd pleaser, with its bright, juicy red berry fruit and spicy seasoning. There’s depth and complexity for those that take the time to look for it, but really this is all about pleasure.

RRP: £8.99 ABV: 14%

Boutinot (0161 908 1300) boutinot.com

Zuccardi Concreto Malbec 2019

Made with 50% whole-cluster fermentation in concrete vats, without epoxy, using native yeasts, the wine also ages in concrete. Maybe one day they’ll bottle it in concrete too. Unsurprisingly, the wine has a robust character that will appeal to the brutalist fringe of the Malbec community, with a deep-rooted fruitiness reflecting an exceptional Uco vintage.

RRP: £38.70 ABV: 14%

Hatch Mansfield (01344 871800) hatchmansfield.com

Seaglass Wine Co Cabernet Sauvignon 2020

From California’s Central Coast, and an unpretentious producer that prides itself on true varietal expression from its (relatively) cool-climate vineyards. This is a world away from Napa’s big-boned interpretation of the variety, and perhaps better for it, with silky blackcurrant and liquorice notes, and a fresh finish.

RRP: £24 ABV: 14%

Vintrigue Wines (01207 521234 ) vintriguewines.com

Living Roots Rizz Fizz Riesling Pet Nat 2021

True or false: this producer is based in the Adelaide Hills and the Finger Lakes of New York? One of the owners is the great-great-great-grandson of Thomas Hardy? Both statements are apparently correct. This zippy, fragrant fizz is no less improbable, yet it’s the real deal, with stone-fruit notes and exotic herbs.

RRP: £27.95 ABV: 12%

Propeller Wine (01935 315539) propeller.wine