Quinta de Ventozelo Newsletter

Dear friend,
Another award for Quinta de Ventozelo! Our commitment to excellence has once again been rewarded: Our Quinta de Ventozelo Reserva 2000 was included by the prestigious Wine Spectator magazine in its

WINE SPECTATOR'S 2005 TOP 100

Wine Spectator editors reviewed more than 12.400 newly released wines. The inclusion of Quinta de Ventozelo Reserva 2000 has been based on four criteria: high score, large production, value pricing and an X-factor they call excitement! This has been the last in a series of awards received by Quinta de Ventozelo in the year 2005:

Top 100 Best Wines & Top 100 Best Value Wines (Wine & Spirits, April 2005)
Value Brand (Wine & Spirits, June 2005)
Winery of the year (Wine & Spirits, November 2005)
Best Buys (Wine Spectator, December 2005)

Click here to read the complete 2005 tasting reviews and awards.
Click here if you want to read our previous newsletter.

LATEST WINE REVIEWS & AWARDS

Red Wine Quinta de Ventozelo Touriga Nacional 2003
Lovely aromas of blackberries and coffee are laced with hints of cinnamon and vanilla. Bursts with fresh fruit—blueberries and blackberries—on the palate, but the flavors aren't simple, they're backed by layers of minerality and stone dust. Supple enough to drink now, but should hold up to five years, maybe longer. 90

(Best of Year 2005, Wine Enthusiast magazine. December 2005. Editor's choice.)

Red Wine Quinta de Ventozelo Reserva 2001
Another winner from Quinta de Ventozelo, the 2001 Reserva features complex, Rhône-like scents of leather, game and spice alongside bold cherry flavors. Smooth and supple, with a long, piquant finish endowed with crisps acids and soft tannins.89
(Wine Enthusiast magazine. December 2005 Buying Guide.)

Red Wine Cister da Ribeira 2001
Presents admirably pure black cherry fruit in a medium-bodied format. What it lacks in weight and texture it makes up for in flavor, delivering fruit, mineral and spice in a harmonious package that builds in intensity on the finish.87

(Best of Year 2005, Wine Enthusiast magazine. December 2005 Best Buys.)

"Finally, 2005 has seen the end of our vineyard planting project at the Quinta. We planted the last 25ha (62 acres), making up a total of 200ha since we started planting in the year 2000.

2005 has been a very hot and dry year, very similar to 2003 and 2004. There was very low rainfall during the winter and no significant diseases affecting the crops. By mid-August an earlier harvest seemed likely, but fortunately rains during the first week of September slowed down grape development. The following weeks were sunny, allowing for a perfect phenolic ripeness. Harvest began the 3rd of September, extending for 4 weeks, as grape varieties were hand-picked orderly according to their ripeness. As for the wines, 2005 has been a very good year: wines are especially intense and concentrated and are evolving well in the cellar.
Congratulations to our vineyard and cellar staff for their hard work!"

Sebastião Mesquita, Winemaker.