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Susana EstebanAlentejo

€51.90
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Vintage
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TECH SHEET

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Vintage
2022
Country
PortugalPortugal
Region
Alentejo
Type
White
Producer
Susana Esteban
Winemaker
Susana Esteban
Grapes
Century-old vineyard in the Serra São Mamedewith a blend of native grapes
Alcohol
12% vol.
Bottle
750 ml

Wine profile

White

Acidity
Body
Sweetness
Alcohol12% vol

Tap or hover a scale

Wine profile · White

Acidity

Level 3 of 5 — Fresh and balanced – like a green apple

Below typical (4.1) · Typical: average of 434 whites at Vinogrande

What it is

Acidity is the wine's freshness: it gives energy, makes your mouth water and helps the wine age. Too little and it tastes flat; too much and it feels sharp.

Where you feel it

On the sides of your tongue, and in how much your mouth waters after you swallow. The more you salivate, the higher the acidity.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: the typical profile of the region (WSET), as we have no specific data. Estimate

Labs measure total acidity (grams of tartaric acid per litre; most wines sit between 4.5 and 8 g/L) and pH (usually 3.0 to 3.8; the lower, the more acidic). Our scale turns that into how it feels in the mouth.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Low: soft, little freshness
  2. 2Medium−: gentle
  3. 3Medium: fresh and balanced This wine
  4. 4Medium+: lively, mouth-watering
  5. 5High: crisp, racy

In practice, for this wine

Versatile at the table: grilled fish, poultry, warm salads. Moderate chilling lifts the freshness.

Wine profile · White

Body

Level 4 of 5 — Full and broad – like single cream

Above typical (3.1) · Typical: average of 436 whites at Vinogrande

What it is

Body is the weight and texture of the wine in your mouth. It comes mainly from alcohol, extract (everything dissolved apart from water), glycerol and, in sweet wines, sugar.

Where you feel it

Across the whole tongue: how much the wine fills your mouth. Think skimmed milk, whole milk and cream.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: the typical profile of the region (WSET), as we have no specific data. Estimate

There is no single number for body. Labs measure dry extract (many wines are between 18 and 30 g/L) and alcohol, which WSET says has the biggest effect on body. Our scale rates the weight in the mouth.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Light: fluid and delicate
  2. 2Medium−: light-ish
  3. 3Medium: rounded
  4. 4Medium+: broad This wine
  5. 5Full: dense and rich

In practice, for this wine

Wants dishes with structure: red meat, roasts, mushrooms, aged cheese.

Wine profile · White

Sweetness

Level 1 of 5 — Dry – no sugar you can taste, just fruit

In line with typical (1.1) · Typical: average of 453 whites at Vinogrande

What it is

Sweetness comes from the grape's natural sugar that did not turn into alcohol (residual sugar). A dry wine has almost none; a Port or a late-harvest wine has a lot.

Where you feel it

On the tip of your tongue, right from the first sip, and as a richer, oilier feel in the mouth. Acidity can mask it.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: the sweetness category recorded on the product sheet (dry, off-dry…).

It is measured in grams of residual sugar per litre. General EU bands: dry up to about 4 g/L, off-dry up to 12, medium-sweet up to 45, sweet above that. On our scale: under 4 g/L = 1, up to 12 = 2, up to 45 = 3, up to 100 = 4, more = 5.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Dry: no noticeable sugar This wine
  2. 2Off-dry: a touch of sweetness
  3. 3Medium-sweet: clearly sweet
  4. 4Sweet: rich and fruity
  5. 5Very sweet: luscious

In practice, for this wine

Goes with the whole meal, from savoury to mildly spicy. Avoid sweet desserts: they make it taste bitter.

Wine profile · White

Alcohol 12% vol

Level 2 of 5 — Moderate – a gentle warmth

Below typical (3.1) · Typical: average of 453 whites at Vinogrande

What it is

Alcohol is made when yeast ferments the grape's sugar. It brings warmth, adds to the body and carries the aromas.

Where you feel it

As warmth in your throat and chest when you swallow, and a slight burn on the nose when it is high.

How we set this level

For this wine, the level comes from: the alcohol stated on the label — On the label: 12% vol.

It is the one axis that is always measured: it comes from the % vol on the label. Still and sparkling wines: under 11% = 1, up to 12.4% = 2, up to 13.4% = 3, up to 14.4% = 4, 14.5% or more = 5. Fortified wines (Port, Madeira…) have their own scale: under 16.5% = 2, up to 18.4% = 3, up to 19.9% = 4, 20% or more = 5.

The 1–5 scale follows the WSET tasting grid. We start from the producer's technical sheet and Vinogrande's tasting notes, plus measured data where it exists, such as the alcohol on the label. Only when that is missing do we use the typical profile of the style, region or grapes, and we say so.

The 1–5 scale

  1. 1Low: under 11% vol
  2. 2Medium−: 11–12.4% vol This wine
  3. 3Medium: 12.5–13.4% vol
  4. 4Medium+: 13.5–14.4% vol
  5. 5High: 14.5% vol or more

In practice, for this wine

Light at the table: fish, small plates, summer food.

Critics & awards

Serve & enjoy

Temperature 8–10 °CFridge 3 h · or ice bucket with water 20 min
GlassWhite-wine glass

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Description

Susana Esteban Sidecar Branco 2022 is a DOC Portalegre wine, the fruit of a collaboration between winemaker Susana Esteban and her fellow Galician José Luis Aragunde. This annual project challenges the producer's friends to interpret the vineyards of the Serra de São Mamede.

The Wine AdvocateRP 93Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

In 2022, the Sidecar was made in collaboration with Galician wine merchant José Luis Aragunde, and comes from the same vineyard as the 2020 sparkling. The 2022 Sidecar Branco fermented in new 1,000-litre chestnut barrels bought in Catalonia. There were two fermentations: one with grapes picked earlier, with higher acidity and lower alcohol; and another picked a little later (two weeks), with riper grapes. The first finished fermenting in barrel and matured for eight months, while the second stayed full in the cask. In the end, they selected only the second, which was completely balanced, with 12% alcohol and the acidity and freshness from the altitude and granite soils. It has notes of white flowers and fennel, a round palate and no trace of wood. It's floral and elegant.

Susana Esteban is a winemaker from Galicia who built her career in Portugal — Quinta do Côtto and Quinta do Crasto in the Douro, and later the Alentejo, where she consults for many producers and has had her own project since 2011. She makes between 35,000 and 40,000 bottles a year. Every year she collaborates with another winemaker or wine personality — a wine called Sidecar — the last two being with Champagne producer Emmanuel Lassaigne and with Galician distributor José Luis Aragunde of Ribeira de Fefiñáns.

She works around Portalegre, a cooler, higher part of the Alentejo, where ripening is slower and harvest later than in the south of the region. She works with leased vineyards and bought-in grapes, but has acquired a property in Alegrete where she planted five hectares, 60% red and 40% white grapes, which will complement the current portfolio in the future.

Published: 4 April 2024

What to serve with this wine

Dishes calculated from this wine’s profile, grapes and region.