November is already halfway through, but our passion for wine remains unstoppable! We continue the article 30 Days, 30 Wines under €30. In part 2 we have the choices of Ricardo Pires, our F&B Director! With a degree in Sports Science, he switched a few years ago from a career in winter sports to dedicate himself exclusively to hospitality. Born in Barreiro, he arrived in Covilhã in 2006 to study at the University of Beira Interior, but his passion for the city and Serra da Estrela led him to stay. At 30, after years in his field of training, he chose Casa das Muralhas, seeing it as the ideal place for a new challenge.
Knowing the project from the beginning, the ambition to have one of the best wine services in the region was a decisive factor. His growing passion for wine continues to guide his life and he is currently attending level 3of the prestigious Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET). As Escanção at Casa das Muralhas, he is responsible for providing direct advice to customers.
His vision helped to build the service and wine list at Casa das Muralhas, standing out for its pursuit of excellence, growing in technical execution and in the variety and quality of available references.
Find out 15 more wines highlighted inWine November 2023, this time selected by Ricardo. If you are also passionate about oenology, be sure to read part 1 of this article, Filipe Rogado's choices.
Let's explore Ricardo's choices for this month, remember, they all cost less than €30, and are available in our restaurant:
1 - Almeida Garrett Double Sense Parcelas do Rio 2018
Region: Beira Interior
Grapes: Touriga Franca, Syrah
Tasting Notes: The aroma is vibrant, revealing a striking harmony between red and black fruits, with subtleties from barrel aging, such as toast, cocoa and a delicate touch of spices. In the mouth, the experience is full of balance, where elegant tannins blend perfectly with notes of wild fruits and the influence of the barrel. All of this is surrounded by a freshness provided by the acidity, giving a pleasant sensation to the body of the wine.
2 - Quantity of Terms Reserva Vinhas Velhas 2020
Region: Beira Interior
Grapes: Jaen, Marufo, Rufete, Trincadeira
Tasting Notes: Quinta dos Termos Reserva Vinhas Velhas 2020 wine is a red wine produced from vineyards over 80 years old, where the Trincadeira, Jaen, Rufete and Marufo grape varieties predominate. It is a wine that has a fine texture in the mouth, but is wide and with soft tannins, although present, all wrapped in fruit, including at the end. The aromatic profile is a hymn to the region, with notes of forest, eucalyptus and pine needles, and fine, fresh red fruit. Very beautiful aroma, combining a wild elegance with some ripe fruit, without compromising the overall freshness. Taste of medium body, with red and very spicy fruit, perfect acidity, a very convincing finish. A very interesting, tasty and differentiating red. To drink now or store.
3 - Quinta da Confeiteira Circii 2018
Region: Alentejo
Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Syrah, Alicante Bouschet
Tasting Notes: The Circii 2018 Alentejo Red wine is a red wine with an intense garnet color, with aromas of forest fruits, spices and toast. In the mouth, it reveals enormous freshness, elegance, balance, depth and long persistence.
4 - Quinta Vale do Olmo Scam 2020
Region: Douro
Grapes: Rabigato, Viosinho, Gouveio
Tasting Notes: This wine has a distinct deep yellow color. The nose is intense with aromas of ripe fruit, grapefruit and a minerality typical of this Douro blend. In the mouth the wine has excellent structure and a marked acidity, which balances the wine very well. The finish is long with citrus notes revealing a marked and balanced acidity.
5 - Vineadouro Clarete 2019
Region: Douro
Caste: Syria, Rabigato, Bastardo, Rufete, Casculho and Marufo.
Tasting Notes: It is a wine that aims to be a tribute to ancient viticulture and oenology, in which the grape varieties – red, white and pink – were planted, harvested and vinified together. It evokes medieval aromas and flavors, which still persist in some villages in the Douro Superior, such as Numão. In the mouth, it is a claret wine that tastes more than it smells, with a rustic aroma and intense flavor, where the striking acidity, body, irreverent astringency and a sui generis aromatic flavor stand out.
6 - Quinta de Lemos Dª Santana 2013
Region: Dão
Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro and Jaen
Tasting Notes: Deep, rich, dense, notes of very ripe fruit in the aroma, cocoa, balsamic, pepper. Powerful in flavor, powerful and fatty but with very good freshness, floral nuances and aromatic herbs, resins, balsamic, mint. Very balanced, very appetizing.
7 - Deluto 2018
Region: Alentejo
Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Syrah and Aragonez.
Tasting notes: Wine fermented in clay pots. It has a very pronounced color, good aromatic concentration with notes of chocolate and spices. It has an intense flavor, with good structure and great final persistence. Aged for 3 months in old French oak barrels, followed by 6 months in bottle.
8 - Queimas D’Ovaia 2020
Region: Dão
Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Roriz, and other old ones
Tasting Notes: This wine is a great sensory experience based on the principle of exposing natural flavors, with little intervention. It was made from grapes from three farms, and with several varieties, including Touriga Nacional, Jaen, Tinta Roriz, Alfrocheiro, and Rufete from some very old vines and others more recent.
9 - Qtª Monte D'oiro Harvest 2019
Region: Lisbon
Grapes: Syrah
Tasting Notes: Remarkably refined in aromas of wild berries and spices. This elegance persists in the silky mouth, forming an extremely refined, juicy set, with a finish distinctly marked by the quality of the fruit.
10 - Bal da Madre
Region: Beira Interior
Grapes: Tinta Roriz e Rufete
Tasting Notes: In the aroma, notes of red fruits, such as fresh raspberry and wild strawberry, accompanied by subtle touches of menthol and tobacco leaf. In the mouth, it is harmonious, offering an abundance of fruit in a measured way, with a persistent freshness and refined tannins.
11 - Qtª Vale do Ruivo Vinhas Velhas 2020
Region: Beira Interior
Grapes: Arinto, Fonte Cal, Syria
Tasting Notes: Straw yellow in color, with floral aromas and some ripe stone fruit. In the mouth it is expressive, creamy and fresh, good structure and volume in the mouth.
12 - Marel 2019
Region: Alentejo
Grapes: Antão Vaz, Diagalves and Rabo de Ovelha
Tasting Notes: It is a white wine organic originating from the Amareleja region. With a light and bright straw yellow hue, it captivates at first sight. On the nose, citrus notes of grapefruit and lemon stand out, as well as more mature touches of melon and peach. The aroma is clean, exuberant and intense. Upon tasting, it reveals a harmonious fusion of citrus fruits, biscuit nuances, stone fruits and subtle spices. This seductive wine shines with its immense freshness, elegance, balance, depth and prolonged persistence.
13 - Quinta do Crasto 2022
Region: Douro
Grapes: Tinta Roriz, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca
Tasting Notes: It has a ruby color intense with a revealing aroma of extremely ripe red fruits. On the palate, the fruit stands out, providing a good structure, with soft tannins, giving it a pleasant quality. It is a fresh, fruity and easy to drink wine.
14 - Pires & Turner Choice 2020
Region: Vinho Verde
Grapes: Loureiro, Avesso
Tasting Notes: This Wine displays a light and bright straw yellow hue, with greenish nuances. Its aroma is a mix of citrus notes, such as grapefruit and lemon, accompanied by touches of more mature fruits, such as melon and peach. The bouquet is crisp, lush and intensely scented. On the palate, it reveals a rich presence of citrus fruits, notes of biscuit, stone fruits and delicate spices. This seductive wine stands out for its incredible freshness, elegance, balance, depth and prolonged persistence.
15 - Queimas Field Blend 2020
Region: Dão
Grapes: Encruzado, Malvazia, Gouveio, Bical, Cercial, and other varieties
Tasting Notes: Queimas Field Blend White 2020 wine is a white wine produced in the Dão region, in Portugal. It is a wine that has a light, bright straw yellow color, with greenish hints. The aroma has citrus notes (grapefruit, lemon), as well as notes of more mature fruit (melon, peach). Clean aroma with good exuberance and intensity. In the mouth, it reveals citrus fruit, biscuit, stone fruit and light spices. It is a fresh and seductive wine, with enormous freshness, elegance, balance, depth and long persistence.