For many wine enthusiasts, Portuguese wines still remains somewhat of a mystery. Famous for our dessert wines, there is more to Portuguese wine than that and wine lovers are discovering it. 

Our montly suggestion is Lua Cheia em Vinhas Velhas Red DOC Douro 2015. Produced with Vinhas Velhas, it shows a  deep garnet color.Very aromatic with notes of blueberries and blackberries. Full-bodied and concentrated but very fresh with ripe and round tannins. As on the nose, very scented with the same notes of blueberries and blackberries. This unoaked red wine pairs well with game, roast meats and mild soft cheese.

Lua Cheia em Vinhas Velhas Red DOC Douro 2015

• Adega – Winery, cellar
• Barrica – Barrel
• Carvalho Francês/Americano – French/American oak
• Casta – Grape variety
• Colheita – Portuguese word for harvest year
• Colheita Seleccionada – “Selected Harvest”. Official designation for DOC wine and IGP wine with outstanding organoleptic characteristics and an alcoholic strength equal to or greater than (in 1% by vol.) the minimum threshold set as evaluated by the panel of the regional wine commission. The use of this designation requires the indication of the harvest year
• CVR – Acronym for “Comissão Vitivinícola Regional”, regional wine comission
• DOC – Portuguese official designation of controlled origin. DOC wines follow region specific rules for grape varieties used, winemaking techniques used, alcohol content levels, origin within the region, etc
• Escolha – Official designation for DOC wine and IGP wine with outstanding organoleptic characteristics as evaluated by the panel of the regional wine commission. When associated with the harvest year, it can be designated as “Grande Escolha”
• Espumante – Sparkling Wine
• Garrafeira – Official designation for DOC wine and IGP wine with harvest year and minimum aging: for red wine an aging of at least 30 months, of which at least 12 months in  glass bottle; for white and rose wines an aging of at least 12 months, of which at least 6 months in a glass bottle. It also stands for wine shop or wine cellar in Portuguese
• Grande Reserva – Official designation for DOC wine and IGP wine with highlighted organoleptic characteristics and an alcoholic strength equal to or greater than (in 1% by vol.) the minimum threshold set as evaluated by the panel of the regional wine commission. The use of this designation requires the indication of the harvest year
• Quinta – Farm, estate, property. Wines designated with “Quinta” may only be made of grapes coming from that specific property
• Reserva – Official designation for DOC/DOP wine and IGP wine with outstanding organoleptic characteristics, and an alcoholic strength equal to or greater than (in 0,5% by vol.) the minimum threshold set as evaluated by the panel of the regional wine commission. The use of this designation requires the indication of the harvest year
• Vinho – The Portuguese word for wine, but also the designation for “table wine”, wine not certified by the local wine commission and not following the rules for DOC/DOP or Vinho Regional/IGP wines
• Vinho Regional (Portugal) or IGP(Europe) – Portuguese/European official designation of controlled regional wines. As per DOC/DOP wines, these wines are also controlled by the regional wine commission and follow regional specific rules. However, the rules are less restrictive than the ones for DOC/DOP wines, both in terms of grape varieties used and production