Vineyard and winemaking
Grainha Branco is assembled from Gouveio, Viosinho, Rabigato and Fernão Pires grown in the higher reaches of the Douro. Cooler elevated sites slow ripening and protect acidity, while the region’s poor schist and transitional soils give the blend concentration and a distinctive mineral tension.
After a brief maceration, the 2019 must fermented at controlled temperature. Around 80% of the wine then spent six months on fine lees in French oak, with regular bâtonnage to build body and integrate the wood. It was subsequently clarified and bottled, balancing richness with precision.
Tasting notes
Appearance
Golden straw, bright and gently deepened by bottle age.
Nose
Apricot, baked apple and vine peach meet wild mint, white pepper, vanilla and a cool quartz-like note.
Palate
Dense but finely balanced, with ripe orchard fruit and creamy lees texture held by fresh acidity. Spice, citrus oil and subtle oak lead into a long, exacting finish. This is now a mature white; serve cool rather than very cold, open carefully and expect some bottle variation.
Food pairing
Serve with roast monkfish, chicken with tarragon, crab gratin or a rich leek and smoked-cheese tart. Its texture also makes a graceful partner for roast pork with apple.
Background story
The name Grainha refers to the grape seed, a store of the proteins, tannins and aromatic compounds that help shape wine. Quinta Nova chose it for a pair of wood-matured Reserva wines intended to show a deeper, more gastronomic expression of the Douro.
The estate stretches along 1.5 kilometres of the Douro’s right bank and contains 41 vineyard parcels with markedly different microterroirs. Its history reaches back more than 200 years, while the Amorim family’s stewardship since 1999 has brought renewed precision to its table wines.
