Portugal's Favorite Wine, Monte Velho, Gets New Look

23 Sep 2013 --- The Monte Velho brand of red and white wines from leading Portuguese wine producer, Esporão, is getting a new look just in time for the winery's 40th anniversary. Produced since 1992 at Herdade do Esporão (Esporao's Alentejo estate), Monte Velho wines were launched following the same philosophy as the winery's Esporão Reserva line -- use only high-quality grapes and allow their authentic varietal character to shine through.

Esporão has updated Monte Velho's labels to be more consistent with the rest of the winery's portfolio, reflecting the wines' Alentejo origins. In keeping with Esporão's commitment to environmental sustainability, the new bottles are lighter -- just 14.8 ounces (vs. 16.5 oz.) -- and are packed in simple cardboard boxes printed with a single color, using less ink.

Monte Velho wines are faithful to the spirit and tradition of Portugal's warm, sunny Alentejo region: food-friendly and vibrant, with rich aromas and a smooth palate. Very affordably priced at $9.99, Monte Velho has become one of Portugal's best-selling wine brands and is poised to become a U.S. favorite as well.

The new vintage maintains the same grape varietal blends as in previous years, but the grapes are now grown using stricter environmental practices, in order to produce top-quality fruit. This follows Esporão's holistic approach in adapting a wide range of innovative, sustainable practices company-wide, which garnered them the 2013 Sustainability of the Year Award from The Drinks Business.