Founded in 1973 by José Roquette and Joaquim Bandeira, Esporão’s mission is to make the finest wines from what nature provides, in a responsible and inspiring way. Today, we are one of the leading wine companies in Portugal and one of the largest organic wine producers in the world. Playing a key role in the national and international promotion of Alentejo, but also present in the Douro and Vinho Verde regions, Esporão has become an ambassador of Portuguese culture, developing its activities in a sustainable manner, whilst building relationships with clients and consumers all over the world.
The Esporão project began in the Alentejo from an irrepressible desire to make the finest wines. This is the basis of everything we do and something we extend to other products and regions. Everywhere, nature inspires us and helps us to improve. We respect and protect it, building a more promising future.
We believe that companies should serve society, and not the other way around. We aim to always operate in a responsible fashion. This responsibility is neither abstract nor merely collective: it is individual, including everyone who is involved with Esporão.
We encourage non-conformity, change and creativity, seeking to do better but not necessarily more. We have learnt that progress depends on the knowledge we develop and apply, as well as believing in what we do and putting our heart and soul into it.
In recent months, many of us tried to find one word that summed up our mission: to make the finest products that nature provides, in a responsible and inspiring way.
Pen in hand, one by one, we sought answers. And the result? We didn’t find just one word, but rather different ways of feeling and being part of this journey. Family, life, pride, inspire, truth, quality, excellence or heritage may not be enough to describe us; however, fortunately, all of them can be found among us.
At Esporão, we like to move forward at nature’s pace. It means creating, innovating and cultivating with care and responsibility, while leaving enough time to enjoy. This is a philosophy we follow in all aspects of our production. This is our manifesto.
MANIFESTO
The world moves at a faster pace than ever.
But to many of us, it looks like we’re going nowhere fast.
Fast is surrendering our privacy for instant access to memes.
Fast is downing a double espresso while rushing to work.
Fast has us watching five seasons of a show on Netflix in one gulp.
Fast has made the week speed by because we were too busy
to stop and look around.
Fast isn’t forward.
We’re from the slow country.
We have a different pace of life.
And it makes life look pretty good.
Slow is smart. Slow is a skill. Slow is progress.
So if you’re in a hurry, drink wine slowly.
Drink life slowly.
There are many ways to move forward. This is ours.
Esporão. Slow Forward.
Esporão Catalogue
The newest addition to the Monte Velho range, from organically produced Antão Vaz, Rabo de Ovelha and Gouveio grapes. It reveals the typical character of its origin, with intense, rich aromas, complex taste and excellent gastronomic aptitude. It is a wine for all occasions. Intense notes of tropical fruits, especially pineapple and mango are followed by intense and fresh palate, with an enveloping texture where the purity of the fruit is highlighted by the long and vibrant finish.
From schist and loamy-clay organic vineyards, matured for 4 months on fine lees. A blend of Antão Vaz, Viosinho and Alvarinho, with notes of fresh grapefruit, tropical fruit and green leaf that follow beautifully on the complex and intense palate, with a slightly creamy texture, balanced by its fresh and persistent finish.
A classic wine obtained exclusively from our organic grapes. The diversity of Herdade do Esporão, together with the different chrematistics of the grape varieties, the soils, the maturity of the vines and the character of the those who make this wine consistently over the years, results in a rich, intense but always harmonious wine. An organic blend of Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro, fermented and matured for 6 months in a combination of tanks and new American and French oak barriques. The calling card for the range with an elegant, creamy palate, notes of peaches and nutmeg.
Created in 2001 with the intent to challenge the classic profile of great Alentejo wines. Made from a 20-year-old Semillon vineyard called Palmeiras, planted on granitic, clay, deep soils. Fermented in French oak with regular battonage and a further 6 months ageing before release. Notes of grapefruit and white peach aromas with subtle notes of mint green complemented with white pepper and nutmeg. Creamy and elegant on the palate with balanced fruit and spices , with an intense and persistent finish.
From 100% organic vineyards, planted on schist and granite soils. A blend of Aragonez, Touriga Nacional and Syrah. It offers enticing aromas of berries, cherries and blackberries are followed on intense and consistent palate, with notes of ripe but fresh black fruit, elegant and persistent tannins, and a long and expressive finish.
Organic blend made by co-fermentation of the different varieties in concrete tanks, followed by 6 months in concrete tanks with unique micro-oxygenation conditions, aiming to preserve varietal character. Further maturation for a minimum of 4 months in the bottle results in an aromatic red. Notes of ripe red fruits and some blackberry jam, with slightly herbaceous and spicy notes. The palate is fresh and balanced, with a silky and appealing texture, where ripe fruit predominates on the elegant and persistent finish.
Esporão Reserva Red was the first wine launched in 1985 and it still represents the estate’s diverse winemaking history. Predominantly a blend of native varieties with a touch of Cabernet Sauvignon, where each variety is fermented separately, then blended. The wine is aged for 12 months in American and French oak barrels, with a further 8 months of ageing in bottle before release. Black fruits, nutty and black pepper notes intermingle on the rich and complex palate that doesn’t disappoint. Complex notes of black fruit jam with spices (black pepper, cloves) combined with notes of coffee, berries and cigars. Complex palate with notes of spices and dark chocolate, with good structure and lingering finish.
From one of the oldest vineyards of Touriga Nacional in Alentejo – the 30-year-old Badeco vineyard, planted on decomposing schist soils. Hand-picked grapes are foot-trodden and fermented in marble lagares and then concrete tanks. Ageing in new French oak barrels for 1 year, followed by 2 years in bottle deliver this sumptuous red full of black berries and plum fruit aromas, with undertones of coffee and toasty oak that mirror on its intense and long palate with very good texture, balance, and persistence.
Aragonez is a very aromatically elegant grape variety, known for producing concentrated wines with an excellent capacity for ageing. This single-varietal wine originates from one of the first vineyards planted at Herdade do Esporão in 1980 – Canto do Zé Cruz, planted on sandy loam soil with some bedrock stones (granite). Hand-picked and foot-trodden in marble lagares, the wine is aged in French oak barrels for 1 year, followed by 2 years in bottle. Intense nose, with plum, coffee and dark chocolate notes. The palate is precise and balanced, with an elegant structure that reflect the identity of the grape in its origin.
First launched in 1987, this is a combination of select parcels from 4 different vineyards that are vinified and aged separately per variety creating a full-bodied wine, with texture, intensity, and vitality, that reflects the diversity and richness of Esporão’s territories in Alentejo. Alicante Bouschet is fermented in concrete vats with Aragonez and Touriga Nacional in lagares and each individually aged in French oak for 18 months before blending, with a further 24 months ageing in bottle. The result is this luxurious red full of dark, complex aromas of mature black fruit with hints of fresh cocoa and pepper that envelop the silky textured palate, that is underpinned by intense and fine grained tannic structure.