Azores Wine Company Isabella A Proibida 2016 Red, Pico

€ 20.95

Brilliant ruby purple in colour. In the nose explosive aromas of sour cherry, cranberry, sour beer, beef blood and sea spray. On the palate, juicy red cherry fruit, mouth watering acidity and pronounced saltiness. Funky and spicy in the middle of the palate, ending with umami laden flavors of meat, seaweed and wet stone. Impressive clarity and concentration in the aftertaste.

Azores Wine Company was started in 2014 by partners Felipe Rocha, Paulo Machado and Antonio Maçanita. The main aim of this project is to make the unique character of these wines, often with a pronounced saltiness, known worldwide. In addition, a lot of attention is also paid to cultivating and especially preserving indigenous grape varieties such as terrantez do pico, arinto dos açores and others.

Food-Pairing

Isabella's high acidity makes it a wonderful seafood red wine, and its concentration gives it great versatility. Mushrooms, game and rich fish dishes are all great combinations.

Grapes: Isabella

A very special wine based on the Isabella grape. A hybrid variety that was planted after the great phylloxera epidemic destroyed all traditional grape varieties on the island. Today, however, the Portuguese wine authorities prefer that they only work with authentic Portuguese grape varieties and that is why the name of the grape was forced to be deleted for export. The winemaker therefore decided to baptize the wine a proibida, or 'the forbidden'. This wine is particularly fresh, with aromas of exotic fruit and a very pronounced saltiness. Truly a special product.

There is a special story behind the Isabella A Proibida from Azores Wine Company. The Isabella grape used for this purpose has been banned by the European Union. That is why the name Isabella is also crossed out in red on the label. Before the grape aphid struck at the end of the 19th century, the Azores were one of the most productive growing areas in Europe with a production of several million liters. After the grape aphid struck, production was reduced to less than 25,000 liters. As an emergency solution, the Isabella grape variety was planted, which is resistant to phylloxera. Azores Wine Company has rescued an old plot of this unique variety to show that this grape is capable of making spectacular wine.

The grapes are harvested manually and transported in baskets of up to 40KG, after which the selection takes place. The fermentation and maturation takes place in stainless steel tanks from 600 to 1000L.

Alcoholcontent

12%

Store & Serve

Serve at 14 - 16 ºC

Awards & Critics

Tags: Azores, Pico