Disclaimer: In partnership with Serendipity, LAGO wines are currently available in the Texas market.
With the warmer temps of late spring, a collective urge to make up for lost time, and longer daylight hours upon us, it’s fair to say we’ve entered peak outdoor gathering season. It’s as if the blooming flowers and chirping birds are beckoning in unison, “Get outside and mingle! Host a barbecue! Invite the friends you haven’t seen in 2 years— and that person you just met at the dog park!” And so, all that’s left to do is find the perfect wines for the moment. Enter Calçada Wine Estates: a historic winery in the Amarante region of Portugal and home to the oldest producing vines in the Vinho Verde DOC. Their LAGO Vinho Verde and Rosé wines are light, refreshing, and have fewer calories and lower alcohol than most whites and rosés, making them ideal for daytime gatherings, patio happy hours, and back-to-back social events.
Calçada Wine Estates
Founded in 1917, Calçada is focused on high quality wines of terroir and is a pioneer in the production of sparkling wines in the traditional method. Manuel Antonio da Mota, a successful entrepreneur and agriculture enthusiast, acquired the estate in the 1960s with a goal of preserving its rich heritage and legacy that lives on today, now in its 3rd generation. The wine cellars are located in a palatial building from the XVI century in the heart of the historical city center of Amarante. Inside the Quinta da Calçada Estate, there is a small, 50-acre vineyard classified as the oldest in the Vinho Verde region.
Just 10 minutes from the entrance to the Douro Valley, Calçada Estate is in the subregion of Amarante, characterized by granitic soils with some schist, and hot daytime temperatures ameliorated by the cooling effects of the Atlantic Ocean. This terroir lends the wines their focused minerality and distinct freshness, making them especially versatile with food.
The Wines: “The taste of living your best life”
LAGO’s refreshing and slightly effervescent Vinho Verde boasts floral nuances that reflect the landscape of Vinho Verde region in Portugal, from which it hails. This classic bottling combines several native varieties (Loureiro, Arinto, Trexaidura, among others) into a tropical, effervescent, and expressive young wine. Expect vivid and generous fruit aromas of pear, peach, apricot, lychee, pineapple & passion fruit. It shines with seafood, but is also a versatile pairing for pizza, pasta, and herbaceous spring-time fare!
Made from 100% Vinhão, LAGO Rosé presents a light cherry color and a slight effervescence that helps lift its fruity aromas right out of the glass. Notes of cherry blossom, strawberries, gooseberries, red raspberries with a hint of watermelon. Extremely fresh with mouth watering acidity, this is a very pleasant and versatile rosé. LAGO rosé makes a lovely aperitif, or try it alongside ceviche, Thai dishes, or fish tacos with mango salsa.
Apart from being delicious representations of their unique terroir, Calcada’s LAGO wines are certified sustainable and have just 70 calories per 5oz serving, leaving you to sit back, enjoy, live and let LAGO!