QPA Reserva Branco

Quinta da Pedra Alta lies in the Douro Superior, and while the valley’s reputation rests on red wine and port, the whites coming off its highest, coolest parcels are quietly the more interesting story. Matt Gant consults here. The Reserva Branco is the estate’s serious white.

Viosinho leads the blend, filled out with Gouveio and Rabigato — indigenous Douro varieties most people outside Portugal have never heard of and arguably should have. The fruit comes from the highest vineyards on the property, planted on schist, where altitude holds the acidity together through a brutal summer. The Viosinho portion is fermented and aged in French oak. The rest stays in steel, which keeps the whole thing bright.

The result is textured rather than fat. Grapefruit and lemon peel first, then white peach and something faintly waxy, with the oak sitting well back — you register it as weight and spice rather than vanilla. There is a stony, crystalline quality running through the middle that comes straight off the schist, and the finish is dry, saline and long.

If you know white Bordeaux, or a good Marsanne blend, you will recognise the shape of this straight away. At £22 it drinks like a bottle at £35, and it is a considerably more interesting wine than most Chardonnay at the money. Give it a year or two if you can manage the patience.

How to Serve

10–12°C. Any colder and you lose the texture, which is the best thing about it. Use a proper white wine glass, not a small one. No need to decant, though it does open up over an hour.

Where to Drink It

Bentley’s, alongside the fish. Planque in Haggerston. Dandy at Maltby Street for something less formal.

Food Pairings

Grilled sea bass with olive oil and lemon. Or salt cod, if you want to go properly Portuguese — the acidity handles the oil and the texture holds its own against the fish.