Casa do Arrabalde

Casa do Arrabalde is located in the Baião subregion of Vinho Verde, close to the border with the Douro region. Founded several generations ago, the farm’s 5 hectares of vines were planted in 1991 by current proprietor Alexandre Gomes and his wife, Dialina. The parcels, nestled among fruit and walnut trees, the family has farmed the vines with limited treatments and no herbicides since the beginning, converting everything to organics by 2019. The soils are well-drained granite and the relatively high altitude (490 meters) and the winds off the foothills of the Serra do Marão mountains lend lift to the wines and help protect from mildew. The estate is planted to the local varieties Avesso, Arinto, and Alvarinho - Avesso is particularly suited to this southern area of Vinho Verde. 
 
As the vines grew older and the quality of the wines became evident, Alexandre also purchased two other properties in the area, Quinta dos Espinhosos and Quinta de Santa Teresa. Today, the winery is located at Quinta de Santa Teresa, though the wines from each property are vinified separately. In the cellar, the grapes are hand sorted, destemmed, fermented with native yeasts and aged in stainless-steel tanks. The goal is to make transparent, fresh wines of place that emphasize the finesse and quality of the fruit. 
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The Wines

Casa do Arrabalde Vinho Verde is equal proportions of Avesso, Alvarinho, and Arinto from the 5 hectares of certified organic vines in several parcels that surround the Casa do Arrabalde. The vines are roughly 20 years old and planted on granitic soils at an elevation of 490 meters, amid walnut and fruit trees. The grapes are hand-harvested, sorted, destemmed, and macerated on the skins for a few hours before pressing with a gentle pneumatic press into stainless-steel tanks. The juice then ferments with naturally occurring yeasts and rests on fine lees over winter. The finished wine is stabilized and lightly filtered (vegan) prior to bottling with a small dose of SO2. 

Location

General Info

  • Founded: 1991
  • Region: Vinho Verde
  • Subzone: Baião
  • Climate: Warm-summer Mediterranean climate, with cooling influence from the Serra do Marão mountains.
  • Soils: Granitic
  • Elevation: 490 meters
  • Vineyard Land: 5 Ha 
  • Farming: Certified Organic 
  • Grower: Alexandre Gomes

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