Raza Vinho Verde DOC, Quinta da Raza

Description

Raza Vinho Verde DOC is a white wine made by Quinta da Raza an estate located at Peneireiro, Celorico de Basto, in the Vinho Verde Region (DOC), adjacent to the Douro Region.

Quinta da Raza has been owned by (husband and wife) Jose Diogo and Mafalda Teixeira Coelho since 1987, although the Teixeira Coelho family has been involved in winemaking as far back as the 1791. Today the estate comprises 40 hectares of prime vineyard. 

Quinta da Raza has a unique terroir created by the gentle slopes and magnificent exposure to the sun. The soil benefits from its granite origins with areas of schist and clay. This is very unusual in Vinho Verde Region. It has a microclimate created by the mountains in the west and the valley of the Tamega river which, unlike the other rivers of the region does not run from East to West, but from Northeast to Southwest, which together prevent the influence of the Atlantic winds. Therefore, there is less rain and a greater temperature range. This means the vineyards are subject to more sun than perhaps other vineyards in the Vinho Verde Region, which are important factors for the development of the vines. Moreover, the average altitude of Quinta da Raza is 250 meters, which corresponds to the best average altitude suited for growing grapes. In 1999 / 2000, significant improvements were introduced in the cellar, including new oenological and storage equipment. A new cellar, situated in the middle of the Raza vineyard, is now taking its first steps and came into operation for the 2011 harvest.

Raza Vinho Verde is a blend of approximately 50% Arinto and 35% Azal and 15% Trajadura and the wine has an off-dry finish. The grape crop is picked manually into small 20kg boxes. The grapes are destemmed and then pressed at low pressure. Fermentation takes place in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks. Before bottling, the wine is filtered and cold stabilized. The wine is normally bottled at 11.5% ABV. 

Incidentally, the bird which appears on the Raza labels is the Lesser Kestrel, locally called “Peneireiro”