Alianca Casal Mendes Branco
⏳ Drinking Window
2021 - 2023
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Grilled seafood, fresh garden salads, sushi and sashimi
✨ Technical Specifications
Casal Mendes is one of Portugal's most iconic and globally recognized wine brands, originally launched by Caves Aliança (now part of the Bacalhôa group). Born in the lush, green, and rain-swept hills of the Vinho Verde DOC in northwestern Portugal, this white wine captures the region's classic, vibrant spirit. The name 'Casal Mendes' pays homage to the traditional Portuguese 'casal' (a small family estate or hamlet). Crafted from indigenous grape varieties grown in granite-rich soils, the wine undergoes a temperature-controlled fermentation to preserve its intense primary fruit aromas. A touch of residual carbon dioxide is retained at bottling, giving the wine its signature, refreshing prickle. This light, breezy style represents the historic, easy-drinking tavern wines of Minho, elevated for modern tables around the world.
🍾 About the Producer
Established in 1922 under the name João Pires & Filhos, Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal has grown into one of Portugal's most significant and pioneering wine enterprises. Modernized in the 1970s and subsequently acquired by arts patron Comendador José Berardo in 1998, the group encompasses historic estates such as Quinta da Bacalhôa, Quinta do Carmo, and Caves Aliança. Spanning roughly 1,200 hectares across the Setúbal Peninsula, Alentejo, Bairrada, Dão, Douro, and Vinho Verde, the group cultivates indigenous and international varieties on diverse terroirs ranging from Setúbal's clay-limestone slopes and sandy maritime soils to Alentejo's schist-strewn plains. Viticulture is practiced sustainably under certifications like the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme (WASP). Led enologically by Francisco Antunes, Bacalhôa balances classical heritage and cellar innovation, renowned for historic benchmark cuvées including the barrel-fermented Catarina, age-worthy Quinta da Bacalhôa Cabernet Sauvignon blends, Quinta do Carmo reds and whites, traditional-method Aliança sparkling wines, and rare, concentrated Moscatel de Setúbal.
🍇 Grapes
Azal, Pedernã, Trajadura
🍷 ABV
9.5-10%