Esporão Private Selection White was launched in 2001 to create a distinct Alentejo white that challenged the classic profile of Alentejo white wines. Vines with an average age of 22 years, combined with the use of the Sémillon grape variety and a careful selection of new French oak barrels, make the 2017 vintage a unique wine among Alentejo whites. The creaminess, richness and intensity of the Sémillon variety give this wine incredible longevity.

Esporão Private Selection Red is an extension of Esporão Garrafeira Red, launched for the first time in 1987. In the 2014 vintage, blending the Syrah and Alicante Bouschet grape varieties lends the wine great complexity and structure, while Aragonez grapes make it elegant. After the grapes are foot-trodden in the Adega dos Lagares winery, this wine is aged in French oak barrels for 18 months.

According to winemaker David Baverstock, producing these wines involves three important aspects: “Before the harvest, we select the best grapes for these wines. Next, the way we handle the vinification process enables these wines to acquire great structure, longevity and cellaring potential”.

Esporão Private Selection White 2017 features a label illustrated by the artist Albuquerque Mendes. A photograph by the architect and photographer Duarte Belo illustrates the label of Esporão Private Selection Red 2014.

Esporão’s relationship with art dates back to 1985, with the launch of the brand’s first wine. This initiative to invite an artist every year to enrich and customise the labels of each Reserva and Private Selection vintage has given us the privilege of enjoying the talent and generosity of 31 Portuguese artists, as well as 2 from Angola and 1 from Brazil.