Sogrape has just announced the 2022 Vintage declaration for its three Port wine houses. Following a growing season with weather conditions favorable to a long and balanced ripening of the grapes, the resulting wines are of excellent quality and reflect the authenticity and style of each brand. Sandeman Quinta do Seixo Vintage 2022, Porto Ferreira Quinta do Porto Vintage 2022, and Offley Vintage 2022 will hit the market in September.
For Fernando da Cunha Guedes, “more than just a milestone in time and a promising announcement, each Vintage declaration is a celebration of the best that nature offers us in exceptional years.” “Each vintage in this category writes a new and exciting chapter in the century-old history of Port wine, paying tribute to our ongoing commitment to tradition, quality, and excellence,” states the President of Sogrape.
The Douro region experienced a rainy winter, followed by a mild spring and summer. With some rain in April and June, and no heat waves, the seasons of 2022 thus combined a series of meteorological factors favorable to grape ripening. In September, a few episodes of rainfall required precise management of the harvest date to ensure the desired quality in each plot.
Luís de Sottomayor, Sogrape’s Director of Oenology responsible for Douro and Port wines, who crafted these three 2022 Vintages, describes them as wines with good acidity and great elegance, which uphold the legacy of excellence from previous vintages. “The Porto Ferreira Quinta do Porto Vintage 2022 and the Sandeman Quinta do Seixo Vintage 2022 are wines that reflect the distinctive character of the terroir from which they come. The former is a wine brimming with structure, depth, and intensity, while the latter stands out for its elegant, harmonious, and complex profile. The Offley 2022 Vintage also reflects the characteristics of the growing season, being a wine with exceptional body and remarkable structure,” says the winemaker.
It is at Quinta do Porto, the birthplace of Porto Ferreira wines, that the unique and surprising Porto Ferreira Quinta do Porto Vintage 2022 is born, a pure expression of the excellence of its terroir. Quinta do Porto, located in Cima Corgo, has always produced the finest wines of this Port wine house and upholds Porto Ferreira’s commitment to perpetuating a legacy spanning more than 270 years and, in particular, the excellence of 24 hectares of vineyards at altitudes ranging from 80 to 350 meters, for generations to come.
Porto Ferreira Quinta do Porto Vintage 2022 thus joins the historic wine cellar of Caves Ferreira, one of the most magnificent and oldest Port wine cellars, with vintages dating back to the early 19th century.
Sandeman Quinta do Seixo Vintage 2022, meanwhile, is an exceptional wine, produced through the careful selection of grapes sourced exclusively from Quinta do Seixo, one of the largest and most iconic estates in the heart of the Douro, with dozens of traditional grape varieties from the Douro Demarcated Region planted across its 71 hectares of vineyards.
Sandeman Quinta do Seixo Vintage 2022 continues the legacy of Sandeman, which, with over 230 years of history and experience, continues to reinvent itself and deepen its commitment to combining tradition with the quality and superior class of its wines.
While the first two wines reflect the specific terroir of their respective estates, crafted from grapes grown in the best vineyard plots, Offley presents a classic Vintage, the result of grapes selected from various estates in the region, and representative of the brand’s consistent style.
Remaining true to its unique identity and nearly 300 years of producing exceptional wines, Offley Vintage 2022 is the brand’s seventh 21st-century Vintage, continuing to affirm its distinctive style in each of the region’s extraordinary vintages.
Porto Ferreira, Sandeman, and Offley have a track record of excellent scores from international wine critics for their vintages, thereby raising expectations for these three new releases in the category, which represent the pinnacle of quality in Port wine. It is worth noting that Sandeman Quinta do Seixo Vintage 2017 and Porto Ferreira Vintage 2018 earned 100 points in *Wine Enthusiast*, the highest score awarded by this leading specialized publication.