Text Olga Cardoso | Translation Teresa Calisto

“Vale dos Ares” is a brand inspired by the name of the old county of Valadares. “The old county of Valadares made its existence official in the year 1317, occupying to that date the majority of the geographical sub-region of Monção and Melgaço. Due to its dimension and wealth generating ability, as well as some inability from the Kings in controlling the irreverent populace, its autonomy had been continuously delayed since the establishment of Portugal. It’s this vivacity and enthusiasm of the people of Valadares that we want to assume as the brand values of “Vale dos Ares”.

This brand is owned by the company MQ Vinhos (MQ Wines), a young family owned company that, in the words of the wine producer Miguel Queimado, has embraced with all the passion, the concept of boutique winery, dedicating itself to the making of DOC wines.

MQ Vinhos is located at Quinta do Mato, right at the heart of the sub-region of Monção and Melgaço and has been owned by the family since 1683.

The enological responsibility is in the hands of a woman, Gabriela Albuquerque. The team’s main goal is to produce a unique wine, made with all the attention and care, with every step of the production process under control, be it the grape or the wine itself.

Steeped in a strong passion, they want to present to the market, a wine that expresses, in a very clear and evident way, all the characteristics of its terroir.

In reality, it’s this respect for the singularity of the Alvarinho variety and for the terroir that births it, that has allowed them to make a wine that is not just another Alvarinho! It was born to be a good reference of the Monção-Melgaço “latitude”!

I only tasted the 2013 vintage. Still, I can say that this is a debut of the wine producer, as this wine went to market with the 2012 vintage.

With a very fragrant profile, but without masks or excessive exuberances, it is very fresh, with a well-controlled acidity. Despite its tropical hues, with clearly evident passion fruit and pineapple, especially in the first taste, the truth is that throughout the tasting, the citrus and mineral hints are the ones that become more evident.

Elegant, balanced with remarkable mouth structure, it is the perfect pair for see food and grilled fishes. It ends in a serious, focused and harmonious way. The lack of history doesn’t allow us to assess its longevity, but I can predict a complex evolution in the bottle, from 3 to 5 years, as long as it is properly stowed.

A curious Alvarinho, that makes us curious to follow him closely by!

Contacts
MQ Vinhos, Unipessoal Lda
Quinta do Mato, s\n, Lugar do Mato
4950-740 Sá-MNC
Tel: (+351) 251 531 775
Mobile: (+351) 934 459 171
Email: info@mqvinhos.pt
Site: mqvinhos