Casal de Ventozela
Visiting Vinho Verde in northern Portugal,
focusing on new wave single-variety wines
In the Ave subregion of the Vinho Verde,
Casal de Ventozela is a dynamic producer with 25 hectares of vines.
They grow Loureiro, Arinto and Treixadura as their main varieties,
but also some Alvarinho, Espadeiro and Vinhão. Ventozela are one of
the leading proponents of single-variety Vinho Verde.
We visited with winemaker Pedro Campos (above
right), who has been here 14 years, and with André Miranda (above
left), the son-in-law of the owner and the general manager.
The estate dates back to the middle of
the 19th century, and was purchased by
José Ferreira Cortinhas in 1978. At the time, most of the wine was
sold in bulk, but gradually more and more was bottled. The estate
has been restored and since 2000 most of the grapes are used to make
Ventozela wines.
We had a look at a couple of the
vineyards. These are trellised with the Sylvoz system, which yields
a healthy 12/13 tons/hectare. There are 6 vineyard plots altogether,
three of them near the winery. Soils are degraded granite, and
through most of the vineyard this soil is almost sandy in its
texture.
 
We also saw Arinto vines being planted in
one of the plots.
Winemaking is clean and modern, and the
wines have a bit of CO2 added: usually 1.1
bars, which falls to 0.9 bars in bottle.
THE WINES
Casal de Ventozela Vinho Verde Branco 2014 Portugal
Mainly Loureiro. Very aromatic, pure, lively and fragrant with notes
of grapes and spice. Lively and pure on the palate with nice purity
and a faint spritz. 87/100
Casal de Ventozela Louriero 2014 Vinho Verde, Portugal
This has 4–10 h of pre-ferment skin maceration and a bit of
battonage(via nitrogen). It's fresh vivid and lively with a bit of
spiciness and refreshing floral and lime characters. Pure and light.
88/100
Casal de Ventozela Arinto 2014 Vinho Verde, Portugal
This variety is frequently used in blends to give a bit of
structure. As a single variety, it's quite distinctive. Taut with
appealing citrus fruit and a bit of pithiness. Lively with some pear
fruit and a bright, zippy character. 88/100
Casal de Ventozela Espadeiro Rosé 2014 Vinho Verde, Portugal
Pale pink colour. Very pretty and lively with nice juicy cherries
and plums, as well as a bit of grip. Nice purity and focus. 87/100
Casal de Ventozela Vinhão 2014 Vinho Verde, Portugal
Intense, fresh, juicy and vibrant with a deep colour. Fresh tangy
raspberries. 89/100
 Introduction
Casal
de Ventozela
Quinta
de Gomariz
Cazas
Novas
Quinta
de Covela
See
also:
Visiting
Vinho Verde (2008) (series)
Wines
tasted 04/15
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
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