Region: Portugal
Appellation: Dão
Type/Style: Red Wine
Grapes: T ouriga Nacional, 20% Jaen, and Alfrocheiro

Textura Wines represents a new wave of winemaking leaders in Portugal who are transforming the industry.  Founded by Marcelo Araujo and his family, the winery is hyper-focused on revitalizing the DOP (Denominação de Origem Protegida) Dão by supporting the community, enriching the biodiversity in the vineyards, and honoring both the natural and cultural resources of the region.  With their celebrated winemaker, Luis Seabra, the Araujos invested years and dollars into their land, studying how to understand and better farm the vineyards while simultaneously constructing a state-of-the-art winery where a textile factory previously laid. In speaking on Textura’s ethos, Marcelo says, “the goal is to arrive at wines with character, elegant and distinct, that show respect for the place.”

Textura Wines hail from the DOP Dão of Portugal, specifically the sub-region of Serra da Estrela, where the family farms 22 hectares (roughly 54 acres) of vineyards. DOP is the Portuguese equivalent of an American Viticultural Area or AVA; DOP designates and legislates regions within Portugal known to produce food and wine of specific and superior characteristics.  The Dão rests between three mountain ranges in northwest Portugal.  Named for the highest peak in continental Portugal, the Serra da Estrela region boasts plantings as high as 600 meters above sea level. Those high altitudes aid in developing wines with lasting acidity that are fresh and fragrant. Textura sources the Textura da Estrela from the Vila Nova da Tazem, where the soil is predominantly granite with a small amount of schist, and vineyards are between 480-550 meters high. Vines here range in age from 25-60 years old and are a mix of plantings:  Touriga Nacional, Jaen, and Alfrocheiro, along with what the winery refers to as the “old vines field blend.” The vineyard blocks are so varied that even the family does not know the exact varietals, a true testament to the region’s reputation for making racy, red blends.

Portuguese wines experienced a renaissance in the early 1990s due to the country’s induction into the European Union in 1986. Before joining the EU, a co-op system dominated Portugal’s wine industry, where farmers received government subsidies to grow specific grapes. Sadly, the assistance pushed prices even lower and encouraged farmers to grow grapes for quantity over quality, negatively impacting the soils and ecosystems of the vineyards. Individual grower wine labels were almost non-existent until Portugal joined the EU and abolished the co-op system. Winemakers like Luis Seabra broke down barriers and encouraged growers to make wines for themselves that showcased the distinct terroirs of the country’s regions and its unique varietals. Seabra spent over a decade making wines for the historic and acclaimed Port house, Neipoort, before jumping ship to found his label, producing wines in Duoro.  In joining the Textura team, Seabra oversees the vineyard’s transition to organic farming and can bring the same terroir-driven winemaking style to the Dão.  His minimalist technique uses little to no intervention and emphasizes highlighting the fruit and the land from which it comes.

The 2018 Textura da Estrela Tinto was hand-harvested at the end of September 2018. It was then placed into stainless steel tanks, where it fermented by way of wild yeast with 30% as whole-cluster fruit. Seabra aged the wine for 15 months in neutral French oak barrels and made only 25 barrels. It is bursting with red fruits, earth, and mineral notes with a slight tinge of white pepper. Velvety textured tannins balance the high acidity that keeps the alcohol low and makes this red blend a cellar contender with real aging potential. Textura produces wines with a storied history, blazing new trails and establishing new traditions that we look forward to reaping the benefits of in vintages to come.