At A Glance
- Field
- Detail
- Region
- Tejo, Portugal
- Registered address
- Almeirim, Portugal
- Appellation
- Vinho Verde for Barão do Hospital Loureiro
- Main grapes
- Loureiro, Alvarinho, Arinto, Fernão Pires
- Featured wine
- Barão do Hospital Loureiro
- Defining feature
- An Almeirim based producer with wines from Tejo and Vinho Verde
The Producer
Falua Sociedade de Vinhos is the corporate producer name, with a registered address in Almeirim, Portugal. Falua and Barão do Hospital are different names in the range: Falua names the company, while Barão do Hospital names the wine brand.
The white wines bring together Loureiro, Alvarinho, Arinto and Fernão Pires. Barão do Hospital includes a Loureiro led wine and a varietally distinct Alvarinho, while Conde Vimioso adds a white made from Arinto and Fernão Pires.
Place
Almeirim places Falua in the Tejo context. The Barão do Hospital Loureiro wine carries the Vinho Verde appellation, a Portuguese appellation that names the wine's regional category rather than its grape.
Rocky soils occur in Falua's Tejo vineyards. The Loureiro bottle carries Vinho Verde on the label, while the producer's Tejo vineyard material supplies the ground reference.
Wines
Barão do Hospital Loureiro Vinho Verde is Loureiro with 15% Alvarinho. Barão do Hospital also includes a varietally distinct Alvarinho, keeping the grape separate in its own bottling.
The Conde Vimioso white uses hand harvested grapes that are destemmed and fermented separately in stainless steel. After fermentation, about 20% of the Arinto and Fernão Pires mature for several months in used 500 liter French oak barrels.
In The Glass
The 2022 Barão do Hospital Loureiro opens with fresh flowers, lime, lemon and white pepper. The palate is focused and flavorful, with well judged acidity and a clean, refreshing finish.
The 2020 Loureiro spent several hours on its skins and many months on fine lees in stainless steel. Fine lees are the settled yeast particles left after fermentation, and time on them can add a rounder feel without oak. This vintage shows white peach, apricot and pear, with citrus and almond from its Alvarinho component. The finish is balanced, saline and lingering.
A Bottle To Understand It
Barão do Hospital Loureiro Vinho Verde is the first bottle to open. It places Loureiro inside the Vinho Verde appellation, with Alvarinho present in the same bottling, while the separate Barão do Hospital Alvarinho keeps that grape on its own. The label gives both the grape name and the regional appellation in one place.
Final Word
Falua Sociedade de Vinhos is rooted in Almeirim and Tejo, while Barão do Hospital Loureiro carries Vinho Verde on the label.