Alves de Sousa Abandonado

This wine is one of the icons of red wine from the Douro Valley. Current wine maker Tiago de Sousa saved the once Abandoned old vineyard from being replanted, and created something very special.

• Grape: Field blend
• Palate: rich, oaky and blackberries
• Region: Douro, Portugal
• Serve with: beef or red meat
• 14-15% alcohol

About the winemaker

Alves de Sousa is a family run property in the Douro Valley, based in Cima Corgo subregion. Historically the family sold all there grapes to Taylor-Fladgate and the large houses. The rules for production in the Douro stipulate that only 50% of grapes are allowed to go to Port production, the rest we historically made into cheap table wine. In the early 1990s Domingos de Sousa started producing his own wines at the family estate, focusing high quality table wines. Over the following year Domingos won Portugal’s Winemaker of the year twice. In early 2000s his son Tiago started to take control. One of his projects was the Abandonado wine, it’s a small old vine vineyard at the top of the Quinta da Giavosa property. The vineyard was virtually abandoned (hence the name) and was about to be replanted. Is not made every year, really interesting wine.

The family recently completed construction on the new winery, which will more or less allow them to entirely stop selling grapes to the our houses. There is also a significant focus on the Port wines of the property, which we will look to bring in with the next shipment. As far a winemaking philosophy, Tiago does not feel that strict organics or biodynamics is suitable for their production, they work sustainably. He’s a very interesting guy to speak to with a well thought out reason for why things are done. All the wines are field blends.