Known for its 20 hectares of vineyards, with a surrounding 40 hectares of Mediterranean forest, it is at Quinta da Manoella that five wines are born. Marked by the freshness, complexity and balance inherent to the Douro, they are "an ode to the legacy of the wine region". They are also the result of the expertise of the winemaking couple Sandra Tavares da Silva and Jorge Serôdio Borges. 

The new harvests of the Manoella trilogy are now on the market and continue the profile of wines in this range, using grapes from old vines and native Douro grape varieties. The Manoella Douro Branco 2023 (€13) originates from a 57-year-old plot, located on a north-facing slope, with granite soil, where the Gouveio, Viosinho, Rabigato and Códega do Larinho grape varieties are planted, at 600 meters altitude in granite soils.

Winemakers Jorge Serôdio Borges and Sandra Tavares da Silva© Quinta da Manoella

The grapes, harvested on August 27, were selected and destemmed, then pressed in a pneumatic press. Fermentation took place in steel, stainless steel and cement egg vats, at low temperatures for eight weeks, with a further six months of aging on the final lees. With an intense and bright color, with aromas of spring flowers and fresh lime, this white wine is round and has a good volume in the mouth, marked by its freshness, purity of flavors and excellent balance.

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The Manoella Douro Rosé 2023 (€13), from a 43-year-old Touriga Nacional vineyard planted on southwest-facing terraces at 450 meters altitude, has a very light hue, making it a classic, fresh and aromatic rosé. With fresh notes of raspberries, roses and a slight touch of clementine, the Douro rosé has freshness in the mouth, mineral notes and a very long finish.

In the vinification process, the grapes are carefully selected and destemmed, before being pressed in a pneumatic press. The must then ferments at low temperatures, for five weeks, and ages on fine lees for six months.

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The Manoella Douro Tinto 2022 (€13) comes from a 42-year-old plot. The grapes, harvested on September 2, fermented in a vat for eight days, with gentle extraction. The aging took place in neutral French oak barrels for 16 months. A blend of Touriga Nacional (60%), Touriga Franca (25%), Tinta Roriz (10%) and Tinta Francisca (5%), it is a purple-colored red wine, with intense and fresh notes of cherry, raspberry and indigenous herbs. With flavors of berries and spices in harmony, it reveals tannins and freshness.

Made from a century-old vineyard in the heart of the Douro, with over 30 indigenous grape varieties, the Quinta da Manoella Vinhas Velhas Douro tinto 2021 (€92.50) is produced according to traditional practices, seeking the highest quality and character, in order to guarantee its complex and elegant profile. After the harvest on September 28, the grapes were selected and destemmed for fermentation in a vat with foot treading for 10 days and its aging took place in neutral French oak barrels for 22 months. The Quinta da Manoella Vinhas Velhas 2021 is a wine with delicate aromas of berries, floral notes and spices. It is an intense and delicate red wine in the mouth with freshness and minerality and an impressive harmony and purity of flavors.

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Finally, and being the second harvest of one of the most recent releases of the winemaking couple, the Quinta da Manoella Vinha Alecrim Douro Tinto 2014 (€150) comes from a century-old vineyard planted by Jorge Serôdio Borges' great-grandfather and planted in pre-phylloxera walls. With a total aging of six years in the bottle to highlight the elegance of its terroir. The old vineyards are surrounded by rosemary and a Mediterranean forest that define the DNA of this first harvest punctuated by the evident notes of the forest and the omnipresent vegetal side.

Considered a wine that grows with aging, it is an example of the interesting tannic tension, significant depth and freshness. A limited edition, there are only 496 75cl bottles.

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