Why it matters
The producer
Falua Sociedade de Vinhos is the corporate producer name, with a registered address in Almeirim, Portugal. Falua and Barão do Hospital are different names in the range: Falua names the company, while Barão do Hospital names the wine brand.
The white wines bring together Loureiro, Alvarinho, Arinto and Fernão Pires. Barão do Hospital includes a Loureiro led wine and a varietally distinct Alvarinho, while Conde Vimioso adds a white made from Arinto and Fernão Pires.
Place and vineyards
Where the wines begin
Almeirim places Falua in the Tejo context. The Barão do Hospital Loureiro wine carries the Vinho Verde appellation, a Portuguese appellation that names the wine's regional category rather than its grape.
Rocky soils occur in Falua's Tejo vineyards. The Loureiro bottle carries Vinho Verde on the label, while the producer's Tejo vineyard material supplies the ground reference.
Wines to know
The range in view
Barão do Hospital Loureiro Vinho Verde is Loureiro with 15% Alvarinho. Barão do Hospital also includes a varietally distinct Alvarinho, keeping the grape separate in its own bottling.
The Conde Vimioso white uses hand harvested grapes that are destemmed and fermented separately in stainless steel. After fermentation, about 20% of the Arinto and Fernão Pires mature for several months in used 500 liter French oak barrels.