Sweet, fortified Port wines are still a staple, but the bottles generating buzz right now in the Douro Valley are the “table wines,” crafted from the same grapes used in Port. As one of the world’s oldest wine appellations and a UNESCO Heritage Site, the Douro is Portugal’s best-known terroir: Steep, terraced vineyards, following the path of the Douro River, are rooted in dusty schist soils. It is an arid, hot climate, producing reds of serious depth. However, despite the notoriety of a dry red called Barca Velha, created in 1952 by the Ferreira Port house, few quintas (wineries) followed Ferreira’s lead until much later.

Ventozelo perfectly encapsulates what’s afoot in the Douro: First farmed by Cistercian monks in the Middle Ages, the property eventually became one of the region’s Port houses. In 2014 it was acquired by Gran Cruz, the country’s largest Port exporter, who not only modernized winemaking operartions but now operate a chic hotel and restaurant on the property.

Crafted from a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Alicante Bouschet and Sousão aged in 500-liter French oak barrels, this wine is a concentrated, well-structured style with an ink-purple hue and some firm, grainy tannins. Aromas of blackberry, mulberry, graphite, sweet tobacco, black pepper, and violet carry over to the full-bodied palate. Decant this one for maximum enjoyment!