Quinta de la Rosa La Rosa Reserva 2015
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The grapes matured perfectly in 2015 resulting in a Reserve wine that gives a maximum expression and complexity. Pretty floral notes give a dramatic impact to this very attractive wine. It has so much fruit and true, authentic complexity that makes it hard to describe. Excellent structure and a texture full of fruit that one can find exactly the same flavors on the nose as on the palate. Succulent tannins give a touch of class and longevity to this excellent wine.
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Wine Enthusiast
A selection made both of grapes in the vineyard and wines in the winery, this rich wine has power and density as well as superb fruits. The well-judged oak aging melds well with the dark fruits and acidity, while the tannins give strength and aging potential.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2015 Reserva is a blend of 40% Touriga Nacional, 10% Touriga Franca and 50% field blend from old vines, aged for 18 months in a 40/60 mixture of new and used French oak. It comes in at 14.5% alcohol. An exuberant 2015, this is impeccably balanced and intensely flavorful. The beautiful structure here is matched only by the fine fruit, with everything cooperating nicely. As it unwinds and opens, the concentration seems a bit less, but the freshness is a bit more impressive and the delicious fruit becomes open and expressive, showing all that intensity of flavor that the 2015s seem to have. This impressive red will be a pleasure to drink, but I'd particularly like to see it develop and improve in the cellar. Give it a few years if you can, but it will be more or less approachable when young. It may also age better than anticipated, but let's take that in stages.
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James Suckling
An attractive white with sliced pear, melon and green apple character. Medium to full body, pretty fruit and a flavorful finish.
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Quinta de la Rosa was one of the pioneers of making and selling table wines and olive oil in addition to port directly from the estate. These products are produced, matured and bottled on the Quinta and not in Vila Nova da Gaia as is the case with other shippers. It can be argued that this helps give our ports a dry and stylish nutty flavour. A combination of the best of the old with the new, treading in granite lagares and using stainless steel and temperature controlled technology, together with careful handling of natural materials (such as oak casks for the table wine and large old tonels for the port), ensures that wines of the highest quality are made. As everything is grown, made and bottled on the estate, Quinta de la Rosa is one of the few true "Single Quintas"; it is not a second brand used by most large shippers for their "off Vintage" port years.
With hundreds of red grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended red wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged resulting in a wide variety of red wine styles. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a red wine blend variety that creates a fruity and full-bodied wine would do well combined with one that is naturally high in acidity and tannins. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
How to Serve Red Wine
A common piece of advice is to serve red wine at “room temperature,” but this suggestion is imprecise. After all, room temperature in January is likely to be quite different than in August, even considering the possible effect of central heating and air conditioning systems. The proper temperature to aim for is 55° F to 60° F for lighter-bodied reds and 60° F to 65° F for fuller-bodied wines.
How Long Does Red Wine Last?
Once opened and re-corked, a bottle stored in a cool, dark environment (like your fridge) will stay fresh and nicely drinkable for a day or two. There are products available that can extend that period by a couple of days. As for unopened bottles, optimal storage means keeping them on their sides in a moderately humid environment at about 57° F. Red wines stored in this manner will stay good – and possibly improve – for anywhere from one year to multiple decades. Assessing how long to hold on to a bottle is a complicated science. If you are planning long-term storage of your reds, seek the advice of a wine professional.
The home of Port—perhaps the most internationally acclaimed beverage—the Douro region of Portugal is one of the world’s oldest delimited wine regions, established in 1756. The vineyards of the Douro, set on the slopes surrounding the Douro River (known as the Duero in Spain), are incredibly steep, necessitating the use of terracing and thus, manual vineyard management as well as harvesting. The Douro's best sites, rare outcroppings of Cambrian schist, are reserved for vineyards that yield high quality Port.
While more than 100 indigenous varieties are approved for wine production in the Douro, there are five primary grapes that make up most Port and the region's excellent, though less known, red table wines. Touriga Nacional is the finest of these, prized for its deep color, tannins and floral aromatics. Tinta Roriz (Spain's Tempranillo) adds bright acidity and red fruit flavors. Touriga Franca shows great persistence of fruit and Tinta Barroca helps round out the blend with its supple texture. Tinta Cão, a fine but low-yielding variety, is now rarely planted but still highly valued for its ability to produce excellent, complex wines.
White wines, generally crisp, mineral-driven blends of Arinto, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and an assortment of other rare but local varieties, are produced in small quantities but worth noting.
With hot summers and cool, wet winters, the Duoro has a maritime climate.