I enjoyed this wine while in Lisboa this February and fell in love. Textura is the Portuguese word for “texture”. The winery’s founder and owner, Marcelo Araujo wants his wines to be about their textures and feel and importantly how it makes us feel to drink them. Marcelo purposefully chose the Dão region because of its attractive combination of climate and geographic features offering optimal grape growing conditions. Nestled against Portugal’s tallest inland mountain region, the Serra da Estrela, the Dão is quickly becoming a magnet for some of Portugal’s best winemakers as the prime location for showcasing several of the country’s prominent varietals. Marcelo and his family made significant investments in understanding their land and building their winery (fit into the original location of a textile factory) to properly allow for organic farming and the vinification of their parcels separately.

Winemaking is directed by Luis Seabra, widely considered one of Portugal’s most influential viticulturists and winemakers. Luis’s approach is minimalism and ensuring the wines we enjoy are not manipulated but reflect what the terroir intended.

Although they are not trying to replicate Burgundy, this is a wine for Burgundy drinkers wine with a touch more phenolics giving way to tropical fruits and notes of perfectly ripe tangerine. The acidity nicely balances the creamy palate.

Pairing: Lemon butter sauces, halibut, meaty fish, poultry

Grapes: 70% Encruzado, 15% field blend grapes and 15% Bical and Cerceal-Branco, 28-55-year-old vineyards in Vila Nova de Tazem, in the Serra da Estrela sub-region, elevated at 480-550 m altitude

Soil: Granite

Viticulture: Organic