Reading Time: 3 minutes

Quinta Varzea da Pedra is one of my favorite discoveries of 2020.

Every year, I taste thousands of wines from all over the world. A handful of those wines have that special something, a twinkle in the eye. That’s what drew me to Quinta Varzea da Pedra.

Quinta Varzea da Pedra

Quinta Varzea da Pedra’s distributor Wine Concept was the first to give me a taste of the wine. I had low expectations of that bottle, a Fernão Pires 2017. The first sip flipped immediately intrigued me. I reached out to the winery, wishing to experience their entire portfolio.

The Quinta Varzea da Pedra is a 26-hectare estate in the village of Bombarral. It’s near Lisbon and located within the Obidos DOC region. This is a true gem in the world of wine. There are swathes of inexpensive, well-made, industrial tasting Portuguese wines. Quinta Varzea da Pedra is the exact opposite of that. The wines from Quinta Varzea da Pedra are full of texture and richness at great price points.

The Lisboa Vinho Regional is home to a few dynamic producers. Winemakers all over Portugal rave about the potential of the region. I’ve tasted some impressive stuff coming from the Lisboa VR and with producers like Varzea da Pedra leading the way, the future looks bright. Do yourself a favor and check these wines out.

Wine Recommendations:

You can find out more about our scoring system on the WINE RATING page.

• Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Fernão Pires 2017

The wine that drew me into the Quinta Varzea da Pedra portfolio. Read all about it in an article from earlier in the year. Score: 91/100

• Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Branco Macerado 2017

The Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Branco Macerado is a blend of Fernão Pires and Arinto foot trodden before the start of fermentation. It’s got a beautiful nose of honey, apricot, baked apple, forest floor, and dried lemon peel. Very complex nose. The palate is loaded with salinity. The tannins are ripe and very soft for an orange wine. High acidity wipes the palate clean. A tad more concentration would push this to higher levels. Score: 89/100

• Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Branco 2018

The Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Branco is a blend of Arinto and Fernão Pires. Golden color for a fresh white wine. Notes of yellow peach, pineapple, sea salt, and a touch of natural gas. It smells like it would be a ripe, fruity white wine but the palate is full of saltiness. Lemony, spicy finish. Score: 88/100

• Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Branco Reserva 2016 

The Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Branca Reserva is a blend of Arinto and Fernão Pires that is barrel fermented. This is a fun, textured white wine. Initial notes include lemon zest, yellow peach, beach sand, and just the right amount of sweet oak. The palate is saltier than the fruity nose. Lots of texture here with good length. For a white that is four years old, this doesn’t show a lot of age. Score: 90+/100

• Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Tinto Reserva 2016

The Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Tinto Reserva is a blend of Syrah and Touriga Nacional aged for 24 months in oak. This is a dark, full red. Notes of black cherry, cassis, tobacco, and charred wood. The wood shows here and the fruit is still bursting through on the palate. There’s a citrusy acidity that runs down the spine of the wine. The tannins are ripe and round now, making it easy to drink right out of the gate. A few years in the bottle will add complexity. Score: 90/100

• Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Tinto Grande Reserva 2015

The Quinta Varzea da Pedra, Tinto Grande Reserva is a blend of Syrah and Touriga Nacional aged for 42 months in oak. Dark, dense red that shows plenty of balance. Notes of blackberry, black currant, licorice, black spice, and violets. Round and developed palate. Nothing sticks out here, the fruit, tannins, and acid are in harmony. A slight lemon zest acidity stretches out the finish. A wine with texture and length. It’s packed with fruit and should improve with more time in the cellar. Score: 92/100

*You can see Charine’s notes below:

Quinta Várzea da Pedra’s Tinto Grande Reserva 2015 is one mighty serious and structured wine. A blend of Syrah and…

Posted by Exotic Wine Travel on Saturday, October 10, 2020

You might also enjoy:

Do you like our content?

If you like our articles and videos, we’d love for you to be a part of our community on Patreon. The support from Patreon helps keep the content coming and you access to behind the scenes content. It also gives us the chance to get to know you better. Check out the Exotic Wine Travel Patreon page by clicking the photo below.

---

Thanks to Quinta Varzea da Pedra for the wines. The opinions expressed in this article are unsolicited and have not been paid for in any way by governmental bodies, enterprises, or individuals. We do not sell editorial content as that would destroy the legitimacy of our reviews and the trust between Exotic Wine Travel and its readers. On occasion, we extend the option of purchasing the wines we review or/and the products we spotlight. Some of these product links are set up through affiliate programs, which means Exotic Wine Travel gets referral credits if you choose to purchase these items via the links we provide.