Experience the best of Vale da Mata Tinto with its floral notes and lively red fruits. This wine has been expertly crafted with well integrated oak and a smooth, round palate. A vibrant acidity leaves a lifted finish, showcasing its cooler climate origin. Discover a fresh red with hints of dark chocolate and liquorice.

Critic Review

JancisRobinson.com: 16.5Pts (2018 vintage)

"Mid cherry red. Such a lovely, inviting aroma: of small tangy berries that are both sweet and wild, so fragrant and pretty with notes of wild strawberry and sour cherry. Really tangy on the palate, with a delicious fruit intensity framed by fine-grained but definite tannins. Wild but perfectly balanced and so fresh. So much pleasure and seems much more expressive than previous vintages of this wine and less oaky. Much more attractive label too."
Julia Harding MW

About the Producer

In 2003, José Ribeiro Vieira purchased a four-hectare vineyard in the foothills of Serra de
Aire of Cortes, in the Alta Estremadura, near Lisbon. Vale da Mata is the name of a
small, old vineyard in these foothills. It pays tribute to Vieira’s winemaker father, Manuel,
who claimed that Vale de Mata was the site where he succeeded in producing his
best wines. The Vale de Mata project respects the expression of its terroir, cultivating
the vines sustainably and using minimal intervention in the winery. Vale de Mata is a
member of the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability programme. Manuel gave this wine its
name and his granddaughter Catarina Viera has followed in his footsteps, continuing
his winemaking legacy. In 2018, Vale de Mata was awarded Best Wine Producer by
Revista de Vinhos.

Vineyard and Winery

Vale da Mata is the name of a small, old vineyard located in the foothills of Serra de
Aire, in Cortes. The vineyard has a maritime climate and is influenced by the Atlantic
Ocean. The parcel is just a few hectares and is situated on a steep terrain with rocky
soil. The land is extremely hard to work and is cultivated manually, with winter pruning
and green harvesting taking place by hand. Protected to the north, it has good
sunlight exposure throughout the day and is surrounded by olive trees, fig trees,
walnuts and shrubs. Vale de Mata is associated with several sustainable programmes;
they are a member of the FSC and grow all their grapes according to organic
philosophies. The vines are trained according to the Cordon Royat method and the
grapes are manually harvested at optimum maturity.

The wine was made following a philosophy of minimal intervention. The field blend
grapes were carefully sorted and then co-fermented using only indigenous yeasts. The
blend was then aged in French oak barrels for 10 months, imparting subtle complexity,
followed by a further six months in bottle.