Taifa 2020 Hails from Its Alentejo Estate, Quinta Da Fonte Souto
SAN FRANCISCO, October 30, 2023 – Symington Family Estates, the leading and historic Port producer is pleased to announce its inaugural launch of Taifa 2020 (SRP $105), a super premium white wine from their Alentejo estate, Quinta da Fonte Souto. Located in the Portalegre subregion of the Alentejo in southern Portugal, Quinta da Fonte Souto was the Symington family’s first estate acquired outside the Douro region in 2017. The estate has since developed a reputation for delivering great quality wines that demonstrate the enormous potential of Portalegre.
The family’s objective with Taifa is to produce an exceptional white wine using an even greater level of precision and attention to detail. Inspired by the region’s rich cultural heritage, ‘Taifa’ refers to the numerous Moorish principalities and kingdoms that emerged in the Iberian Peninsula during the 11th century, following the decline of the Córdoba Caliphate. Portalegre and its surrounding region were part of one of the most extensive ‘Taifas.’ Its label reflects the exquisite geometric decorative patterns that are part of the Moorish legacy in the Alentejo.
Rupert Symington, CEO, and Head of DOC Wine Operations, commented, ‘Since acquiring Quinta da Fonte Souto in 2017, we are greatly encouraged by the incredible wines we have consistently made in this singular subregion of the Alentejo. The unique characteristics of the property, combining altitude, clay and granite soils, ample water, and ideal exposures, have allowed us tremendous scope to produce both white and red wines of world-class quality. Taifa reflects a stage of maturity of this project, where our in-depth knowledge of the vineyard has fuelled our ambition to produce a white wine that epitomises the unmistakable terroir of this corner of the Alentejo. With Taifa, we believe that we will make a significant contribution to further raise the standing of Portugal’s super premium whites.’
This special wine is made using the finest white grapes from a few plots of mature vineyards with low-yielding vines. The grapes are harvested early to preserve optimal acidity and are hand-picked at differing stages of ripeness to enhance the wine’s complexity and balance. Meticulous attention to detail continues in the winery, with pre-fermentation maceration maximising the aromas, and vinification in 500-litre French oak barrels providing structure. Careful bâtonnage through the winter and spring helps to give the wine a fantastic creaminess. It is this level of precision that underpins Taifa’s freshness, elegance, and longevity.
Taifa 2020 is limited to 2,000 bottles and 80 magnums. The wine’s aroma is a seductive combination of honeysuckle, sea breeze with mineral notes of iodine and salt, hints of vanilla, and a light, toasty undertone. The rich texture offers creamy flavours of apricot, quince, and a subtle trace of honey, balanced by citrous acidity.
ABOUT SYMINGTON FAMILY ESTATES
The Symingtons of Scottish, English and Portuguese descent have been port producers in northern Portugal since 1882. For 5 generations they have combined their passion for producing fine wines and ports with a deep commitment to the region’s land and people. Today, ten Symingtons work across their four port houses: Graham’s, Cockburn’s, Dow’s and Warre’s, as well as their Douro wine brands – Quinta do Vesuvio, Quinta do Ataíde, Altano and Prats & Symington (of Chryseia fame). In 2017 they launched a new venture, Quinta da Fonte Souto, in the Alto Alentejo.
Symington Family Estates is a leading premium port producer and the leading owner of prime vineyards in the Douro valley, with 26 Quintas covering 2,462 hectares and 1,114 ha of vineyard. The family business is a founding member of Primum Familiae Vini – an association of 12 European wine families – and in 2020 was voted in 7th place in The World’s Most Admired Wine Brands list by a panel of over 200 international wine experts organised by Drinks International.
All Symington vineyards are sustainably managed under a minimum intervention certification and 130 ha are organically farmed – the largest area of organic vineyard in northern Portugal. The family have invested significantly in viticulture R&D to adapt to climate change and have an ambitious sustainability plan, with a series of public goals under the banner of Mission 2025. In 2019 the company became a certified B Corporation – the first wine company in Portugal to take this step – joining a global community of businesses audited for the highest standards of social and environmental responsibility. Symington was named Ethical Company of the Year in The Drinks Business 2019 Green Awards.
ABOUT QUINTA DA FONTE SOUTO
This is the Symington family’s first property outside the Douro region. Quinta da Fonte Souto is located in the sub-region of Portalegre, in the Upper Alentejo. Close to the Area of São Mamede (1,025 meters), the property benefits from the altitude of the area with its cooler microclimate, in contrast to the typically hot and dry conditions of the Alentejo region. Production is low due to shale and granite soils, less fertile than those found in the flat terrain that characterises most of the Alentejo.
