Porca de Murca Reserva Vinhas Velhas
⏳ Drinking Window
2022 - 2030
🍽️ Food & Wine Pairings
Roasted lamb, slow-cooked beef stew, mature hard cheeses
✨ Technical Specifications
Porca de Murça is one of Portugal's oldest and most celebrated wine brands, first introduced by Real Companhia Velha in 1928. The name is inspired by a famous folk legend from the Douro town of Murça, where a prehistoric granite statue of a sow (porca) stands in the town square, commemorating the slaying of a legendary wild boar that once terrorized the local forests. The 'Reserva Vinhas Velhas' represents a premium expression of this historic label, sourced from low-yielding, ancient field-blend vineyards (Vinhas Velhas) planted on the steep, schistous slopes of the Douro Valley. These old vines produce grapes of remarkable concentration and character. The wine is carefully fermented and aged in French oak casks, resulting in a robust, structured red that beautifully marries deep dark fruit flavors with complex spice, earthy undertones, and a refined mineral backbone.
🍾 About the Producer
Established on September 10, 1756, by Royal Charter of King D. José I under the auspices of the Marquis of Pombal, Real Companhia Velha stands as Portugal's oldest continuously operating wine company. Entrusted originally with demarcating and regulating the Douro Valley, the company was acquired by the Silva Reis family in 1960. Today, under President Pedro Silva Reis and celebrated head winemaker Jorge Moreira, Real Companhia Velha oversees more than 550 hectares across historic quintas such as Das Carvalhas, De Cidro, Dos Aciprestes, and Do Casal da Granja. While famous for benchmark Port, the house pioneered fine Douro still whites, capitalizing on high-elevation schist and granite plateaus with wide diurnal shifts. Estate whites—most prominently the Quinta de Cidro mono-varietals and field blends spanning Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Alvarinho, and Sémillon (Boal)—rely on precision viticulture and parcel-specific vinification. These wines demonstrate remarkable tension, vibrant natural acidity, and an authentic, mineral-driven reflection of the rugged Douro landscape.
🍇 Grapes
Field blend of traditional Douro varieties from old vines
🍷 ABV
13.5-14.5%