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Ameal – bringing Loureiro to life

Ameal estate on the river Lima

An exceptional lesson learnt. A much-admired estate given a new look.

We tend to think carelessly that red wines are for ageing and whites (and certainly rosés) are for drinking relatively young. But that can be so wrong.

Riesling and Chenin Blanc are the most obvious white-wine grapes whose wines have real longevity. But last month I was sent a selection of vintages of Loureiro-based whites from the estate that used to be known as Quinta do Ameal (from the 2018 vintage simply Ameal) in the Vinho Verde region in the far north of Portugal. What they demonstrated to me...