Quinta do Cardo

In Beira Interior, at 750 meters high, among two small mountains and three rivers, lies a 69 hectares vineyard certified for biological production. It produces some very lively, complex and elegant wines that have reached fame among the critic and the big international magazines. Amid the famous estates of Companhia das Quintas, Quinta do Cardo reaches a rare and very special status.

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In the outskirts of Castelo Rodrigo, a sub region of Beira Interior, there is a 180 hectares estate touched by the rivers Douro, Coa and Águeda and protected by the Marofa and Castelo Rodrigo (which the village was named after) mountains. From those, 69 hectares are destined to the vineyards.

The production is biological and certified and flourishes within a reserve of cork trees and spontaneous forest, in a continental climate of very hot summers and rigorous winters which increases the huge potential of the region that Quinta do Cardo has been showing to the world.

Its granitic soils originate low income vineyards with high quality and concentration grapes. Various indigenous vine varieties grow wisely mixed with great international vine varieties: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Síria and small plots of Tinto Cão and Marlot, Caladot and Alicante Bouschet.

This privileged terroir has originated a portfolio of elegant and complex wines that fill with joy the heart of the wine lovers. Quinta do Cardo Grande Reserva Tinto, for example: 39 Parker points, 94 points in Wine Enthusiast, is the result of a selection of the best Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz grapes aged for 20 months in new French oak barrels. It is a ruby colored, structured and elegant, with great aromatic complexity, freshness and longevity wine.

Quinta do Cardo Touriga Nacional Reserva can be distinguished by the violet aroma of this vine variety, enhanced with hints of resin, black chocolate and toast, resulting of its aging in oak barrels. With lively acidity and firm tannins, very dense, it was awarded with the gold medal in the 2015 Concours Mondial Bruxelles.

The countless distinctions culminate in the Quinta do Cardo Seleção do Enólogo. With 91 points and Editor’s Choice in Wine Enthusiast, Grand Gold in Concours Mondial Bruxelles 2014, Gold in Concurso de Vinhos da Beira Interior it is a blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz, aging for 20 months in French Oak barrels. It is a wine with great complexity in the aroma, very fresh and elegant in the mouth and a long and persistent aftertaste.

Among the white ones, the monovarietal of the Síria vine variety stands out. Made of lemon green colored biological grapes, it is floral, fruity with mineral hints and very creamy in the mouth. It was awarded 87 points in Wine Enthusiast and won a Bronze Medal in the International Wine Challenge 2015.

This exquisite portfolio is completed with a very elegant sparkling wine made with Touriga Nacional grapes, light salmon colored with slim and persistent bubble and delicate and floral aroma. Rich, complex, with balanced acidity it was awarded with Gold in the 2015 Vinhos da Beira Interior contest.

With a special place in Companhia das Quintas, Quinta do Cardo, being a reference project for the oenophiles and lovers of the great Portuguese wines, is one step far from ascending to the pantheon of the Beira Interior wines, with its complex and passionate creations.