# Baronesa de Vilar Port Finish Reserva (NV)

- **Producer:** Barão de Vilar
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz
- **Region:** Douro, Portugal
- **Style:** Classic
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €18
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** plum, blackberry, cherry, redcurrant, violet, vanilla, chocolate, cedar, cloves, leather, prune, dried fig

## About this wine

Baronesa de Vilar Port Finish Reserva is crafted in tribute to winemaker Álvaro van Zeller's grandmother. Álvaro represents the 15th generation of the van Zeller family, whose winemaking and trading heritage in Portugal's Douro Valley dates back to 1715. This cuvée bridges two iconic local traditions: dry Douro red winemaking and Port barrel finishing.

## Interesting facts

- Named in tribute to winemaker Álvaro van Zeller's grandmother, the Baronesa de Vilar.
- The Van Zeller family has been producing and trading wine in Portugal's Douro Valley since 1715.
- Finished in seasoned Port casks to integrate gentle Port-cask complexity into a dry red blend.

## Food pairing

The wine's rich fruit density and velvety tannins complement hearty grilled meats, braised game, and mature hard cheeses, while its vibrant acidity balances savory tomato-based ragùs and rustic stews.

## Wine making process

Grapes are hand-harvested from steep schist vineyard slopes in the Douro Valley. Upon arrival at the winery, the grapes undergo cold room cooling followed by three days of skin maceration in stainless steel vats at 25°C before temperature-controlled fermentation. The wine matures for 12 months in old oak barrels before undergoing final aging in seasoned Port casks.