Casa de Santar Vinha dos Amores Encruzado 2019 is the best Dão wine

Casa de Santar Vinha dos Amores Encruzado 2019, which is part of the portfolio of 19I90 Premium Wines, won the ‘Best Wine in Contest’ award, awarded by the jury of the Contest Best Wines of Dão 2023, promoted by the Regional Wine Commission of Dão ( CVR Dao). The jury, made up of winemakers, sommeliers and critics, chose Casa de Santar Vinha dos Amores Encruzado 2019 among 170 wines from a total of 37 producers, having also awarded this wine the ‘Platinum Medal’.

It should be remembered that, in 2022, the 2017 harvest of this wine was chosen as ‘Best Wine of Portugal’, in the Wines of Portugal Contest, organized by ViniPortugal. The Best Dão Wines 2023 Contest also distinguished four other wines from 19I90 Premium Wines with a Gold Medal: Casa de Santar Oito Parcelas, Casa de Santar Curtimenta, Casa de Santar Autumn and Casa de Santar Rosé.

According to Osvaldo Amado, enology director of the Global Wines group, «Encruzado is one of the best white grapes in Portugal and, probably, one of the best in the world, which has given us so much joy. Seeing another one of our Encruzado wines distinguished is a huge honor and motivates us to continue the work we have been developing, in the sense of creating unique wines, which stand out among the best in the world».

Casa de Santar Vinha dos Amores Encruzado 2019 has an intense citrus color, with abundant greenish tones, has a distinct and complex aroma, with nuances of jelly from white-fleshed fruits. It is a fresh, elegant, harmonious wine with a long persistence, perfect for accompanying delicacies based on fish and meat in structured cooking from Mediterranean cuisine, or more exotic dishes from Chinese, Indian and African cuisine.

It is a single varietal of the Encruzado variety planted in a vineyard with a history of centuries and which constitutes one of the most extraordinary landscapes of Dão – the Vinha dos Amores. The place where this vineyard is located was once called Alto dos Amores and was the meeting point for couples in love in Vila de Santar. If, in times, the magic of this landscape served to win hearts, today, the grapes that grow there serve to win over the most demanding taste of wine lovers.

The suggested RRP for this wine is €30 and can be found in the best Portuguese wineries and restaurants, as well as in the 19I90 Premium Wines online store, at 1990.wine, and in the group’s wine tourism facilities.