Altano Reserva, Symington Family Estates

Description

Altano Reserva is a red wine from the Douro wine-growing region of Portugal. Altano is owned by the world-famous Symington family (owners of Graham, Dow and Warre Ports amongst others) under their Symington Family Estates company. Symington Family Estates are now the largest vineyard owner in the Douro Valley with a total of 947 hectares split between some 26 vineyards. They are also the largest organic wine producers in Portugal. The grapes for Altano Reserva are sourced exclusively from Symington Family Quintas, principally from the family’s Quintas in the Vilariça Valley in the Douro Superior but with some fruit from vineyards in the Cima Corgo sub-region of the Douro.

The grapes for the DOC wines are harvested up to a week earlier than those used to make Port wine, this helps to preserve their natural freshness, ideal levels of acidity and to avoid excessive alcoholic strength. The grapes for Altano Reserva harvested by hand into small 20kg containers to ensure that they are arrive at the winery in best condition. The grapes bunches are sorted at the winery followed by gentle destemming and and a further machine sorting. The grapes are transported to the fermentation vats by conveyor belt without pumps. The berries are then gently crushed and gravity fed directly into the vats for alcoholic fermentation. Once alcoholic fermentation is concluded, post fermentation macerations are employed in order to enhance the wine structure and thus favouring a wine that is full-bodied and complete on the palate. The wine is aged for 12 months in 400 and 300 litre American oak barrels and the balance in stainless steel vats. Winemakers are Charles Symington and Pedro Correia, assisted by the Symington DOC Douro winemaking team.

The 2015 Altano Reserva is blend of 90% Touriga Nacional and 10% Touriga Franca.