Casa de Saima Espumante Reserva Bruto '21

Casa de Saima is a small, family-run winery, and one of the best in Bairrada, a region along the Atlantic in north central Portugal. Founded in 1940 with 18 hectares (about 45 acres) of vineyards located on small plots of land, Casa de Saima until recently was run by Graça Maria de Silva Miranda. Her family continues her traditions and dedication to showing the potential of the region’s indigenous varieties, and the result is wines that are consistently complex and always great values. Graça was an extremely kind person, and she was thrilled to know that people in Chicago enjoy her wines.

For the espumante the two local white grapes of the region, Bical and Maria Gomes, as well as Chardonnay are blended. The first fermentation occurs in steel tanks, and the second, just like in Champagne, is carried out in bottle. The wine is aged on the lees for a little over a year, and then disgorged. There is no mistaking this for a sparkler from any other region; it is distinctly Portuguese, and distinctly Bairrada. Offering bright citrus and mineral notes on the nose and palate, it finishes bone dry with a very mineral personality. Pair it like they do in Bairrada alongside some roasted suckling pig.