Dominio do Acor 2022 Encruzado White Wine, Dao, Portugal

The Wine

Despite the growing prestige of Encruzado, one of Portugal's best white grape varieties, there are still only 720 acres of it in the entire country, mainly in Dão, where the grape originated.

The tendrils that develop on the vines give the variety its name (encruzado = criss-cross). But the key distinction of this wine is that the great barrel-fermented Encruzados are often compared with the best white Burgundies, especially in terms of texture, sophistication and aging capacity.

The wine's aromatics deliver notes of Bell pepper, roses, violets and yellow flowers, with hints of pine resin and flint, especially as the wine ages. These markers make the best Dão Encruzados unique and memorable to winelovers worldwide. 

"18/20" Jancis Robinson

The Winery

This wine is from a region in Portugal known as the Dão, which became a demarcated wine growing region in 1908.

It was Portugal's first demarcation for non-fortified wines, though its winegrowing history starts much earlier, probably with the Celts, who inhabited the region and left archological evidence of their winemaking practices at what is now Domínio do Açor. There is also winemaking evidence from the Romans who succeeded the Celts and who most probably grew on the same grounds owned by Dominio do Acor. 

What these ancient cultures discovered is an area whose climate and geology work together to create ideal conditions for winegrowers. It is not by chance the region has earned the nickname "Burgundy of the South".

But the winery isn't resting on their history, they are constantly pushing to improve their viticultural practices, enhancing their sustainable growing practices with new trellising experiements, soil aeration techniques, stimulating biodiversity and other Biodynamic practices.