Taboadella 1255 Encruzado Reserva

The power of Portuguese wines is becoming increasingly distinctive worldwide. For centuries, Portugal was known solely for its fortified port wine. However, we are now at a tipping point: "regular" Portuguese wine is suddenly becoming highly appreciated. This has been a long process, in which Taboadella has been present from the very beginning. It began in 1986, when Portugal joined the European Union. The sudden release of agricultural subsidies allowed small, local winemakers to start exporting their wines in a commercially viable way. After numerous investments and innovations in Portuguese wines, they finally made their breakthrough in the 1920s.

The Portuguese wines of Taboadella

Taboadella's winery has also been secretly crucial to this revival of Portuguese wines. Taboadella's own estate is the Amorim Group. Besides wine and port, Portugal is also the world's leading producer of cork—the Amorim Group plays a significant role in this. Since the turn of the 20th century, they have increasingly focused on viticulture. They first acquired the famous Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhore do Carmo, but also acquired an abandoned vineyard in Dao, just outside Porto. The name of this vineyard is Taboadella.

Impressions of Taboadella 1255 Encruzado Reserva

Taboadella's vineyards—a whopping 40 hectares in total—are dedicated solely to indigenous varieties. The previously planted international varieties have all been uprooted to make way for the magnificent grapes of Portuguese culture. As a result, you'll find some rather unknown grape varieties, such as the Encruzado. This grape variety shares many similarities with the well-known Chardonnay, but in our opinion, it possesses just that little bit of "je ne sais quoi." Thanks to its oak aging, Taboadella 1255 Encruzado Reserva develops impressive notes of ripe pear, tropical peach, and toasted oak. A nutty hint rises from the glass. The fine, rounded mineral notes that define Taboadella 1255 Encruzado Reserva are striking.