At A Glance
- Region
- Douro, Portugal
- Subregion
- Cima-Corgo
- Founded
- Nineteenth century
- Leadership
- Luísa and Maria Vieira de Sousa
- Farming
- Sustainable, without certification
- Named bottles
- Alice Vieira de Sousa Branco, Alice Vieira de Sousa Tinto Reserve, Vieira de Sousa White Port 20 Years
The Producer
Vieira de Sousa is a family-owned Port producer spanning five generations. José Silvério Vieira de Sousa created the brand, and estate bottling resumed in 2008 when Luísa Vieira de Sousa and her father António reinvested in bottling Port under the family name.
Luísa, an oenology graduate, is the head winemaker. Her younger sister Maria manages the business. Every wine is produced from grapes grown across five family estates covering almost 60 hectares in the Douro Valley, all within Cima-Corgo.
The family operates three wineries. In 2011, it built a winery in Sabrosa to centralize much of the production; the vineyards have been farmed sustainably without certification since then.
Place
Quinta da Fonte stands at 600 metres in Celeirós and is used for white grapes. Its vineyards occupy a small plateau exposed to fresh winds, conditions the family links to grapes with high acidity and complexity. Alice Vieira de Sousa Branco uses fruit from a family estate on the Celeirós plateau near Sabrosa.
Wines
The range spans age-designated Tawnies, Colheitas, Vintage Ports, DOC Douro whites and reds, unoaked bottlings and single-variety wines. Grapes from the highest and oldest vineyards supply the Vintage and LBV Ports, while selected fruit at Quinta da Fonte is fermented by traditional foot treading.
Alice Vieira de Sousa Branco blends Rabigato, Viosinho and Gouveio. The grapes are crushed and pressed, followed by a long, low-temperature fermentation in stainless-steel tanks. It has citrus and mineral notes, with a long, dry finish.
Alice Vieira de Sousa Tinto Reserve combines Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barroca. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel with 8 to 15 days of skin maceration. Red-fruit and fresh balsamic aromas lead into a long, concentrated body.
Vieira de Sousa White Port 20 Years includes Malvasia Fina, Rabigato, Verdelho and Gouveio. The white grapes receive prolonged skin maceration and foot treading in lagares before fortification. Old lots mature in cask for more than 20 years before assembly. The wine is golden, with nut and raisin aromas, sweetness, freshness and substantial structure.
Sources
- vieiradesousa.pt/en/sobre
- www.wineauthorities.com/winemakers/vieira-de-sousa
- www.vinhalvarinho.pt/en/produtores-vinho-do-douro/vieira-de-sousa
- vieiradesousa.pt/en/produtos/alice-vieira-de-sousa-branco
- vieiradesousa.pt/en/produtos/alice-vieira-de-sousa-tinto-reserva
- vieiradesousa.pt/en/produtos/porto-branco-20-anos