Caves da Murganheira: Blue Granite Caves & Sparkling Wines

If you love Sparkling Wine, if Bubbly excites your palate, then you need to seek out Caves da Murganheira, a producer of Espumante, compelling Portuguese Sparkling Wine. Until my recent trip to Portugal, I was unfamiliar with this winery and now I hope to find their wines in the U.S.

Murganheira is located in the Varosa Valley, in the Távora-Varosa DOP, at the northwestern section of the Beiras region and bordering the Douro. The Távora-Varosa DOP is an excellent region for grapes that will produce sparkling wines and it actually was the first Portuguese region, in 1989, to be demarcated for sparkling wines. It is certainly a beautiful region, with plenty of lush vegetation, hills, and stunning landscapes.

The winery was established in 1964 by Acácio da Fonseca Laranjo, who chose to name the winery after the village, Murganheira, where he grew up. This village is located only a short distance from the current site of the winery. Initially, the winery made only sparkling wine but in the 1970s, they expanded production to include still wines as well. Upon his death, his family sold the winery to several men, including oenologist Orlando Lourenço.

Currently, Murganheira owns 30 hectares of vineyards and supervises over 1,000 hectares from which they purchase grapes. Some of the grapes they grow and purchase include Malvasia Fino, Gouveio Real, Cerceal, Chardonnay, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinga Roriz, and Pinot Noir. What helps to separate this region from the Douro is their soil type which is granite rather than the schist of the Douro. This year, their harvest ran from September 2 to October 2, and it was a challenging vintage with plenty of rain and hail during the Spring.

Their press room is only used for one month of the year, during the harvest, and they possess three pneumatic presses. The first pressing produces the juice for their top wines and Brut Espumante. The juice from the second pressing usually goes to produce their half-dry and sweet wines. 95% of their production is Sparkling Wine and only 5% are Still Wines. Their Sparkling Wine is produced by the Méthode Traditionelle, the same method used to make Champagne, where secondary fermentation occurs in the bottle.

The annual production at Murganheira is approximately 1 million bottles per year, only about 83,000 cases. Besides 750ml and Magnums, they also produce 3, 6 and 9 liter bottles. They export about 20% of production, and their export markets include Russia and the U.S. Of their Sparkling Wines, three are non-dosage wines, and they also use French oak for the aging of some of their wines.

One of the most stunning aspects of my visit to Murganheira was seeing their blue granite "caves," the cellars where they age their wines. The huge stacks of bottles amidst the dark granite walls made for an impressive vision. The original owner, Acácio, with advice from a man from the Champagne region, created the caves over a span of years, dynamiting into the blue granite. The caves remain at a year-round, constant temperature of about 54 degrees Fahrenheit. These voluminous caves store about three million bottles of wine, the oldest reaching back to 1991. Their Sparkling Wines usually spend at least 3 years and 8 months in these caves before release. Plus, aesthetically, the caves and all of those bottles are compelling.

The first Sparkling Wine we tasted was the 2009 Murganheira Millesime Bruto Espumante (16-17 Euros), a blend of 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir. With a fine golden color and plenty of tiny bubbles, the aroma was subtle with hints of apple and vanilla. On the palate, it was crisp and dry, with a pleasing mousse, and fine green apple flavors, a hint of toast, and a savoriness on the finish. A satisfying complexity, a lengthy finish, and just plain delicious. A good value wine based on its quality and complexity.

I was especially taken by the 2009 Murganheira Touriga Nacional Bruto Blanc de Noirs Espumante (13-14 Euros), which is made from 100% Touriga Nacional. Almost a Rosé in color, and with tiny bubbles, there were mild red fruit notes on the aroma. As soon as I tasted a sip, bright berry flavors burst on my tongue, such a pleasurable taste and sensation. Dry and crisp, once I got past the berries, there were subtle notes of almond and plum, as well as a lingering finish. If I could have easily transported it home, I would have bought a case of this bubbly. Highly recommended, especially at this price.

The 2013 Murganheira Tinto Bruto (8.5 Euros) is a blend of Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz. It had a dark, almost purple color, with a pleasing aroma of black fruit with a hint of spice. On the palate, it was dry, with good acidity, rich black fruit flavors, subtle spice notes, and a moderately long finish. Not as complex as the others but more an easy drinking sparkling wine.

I decided to purchase a bottle of the 2013 Czar Grand Cuvee Rosé ($22 Euros), even though I didn't get a chance to taste it. First, I love Sparkling Rosé so I was intrigued to taste their version. Second, after experiencing the quality and deliciousness of their other Sparkling Wines, I felt secure that they would produce an excellent Sparkling Rosé too. The wine is made from 100% Pinot Noir, has a 14% ABV. and acquired its name Czar, as a recognition of their exports to Russia.

Over this past weekend, I opened this bottle for a celebration, and wish I'd bought more of it. With a deep and bright pink color, this Sparkling Rosé was crisp, dry and complex, with fresh red fruit flavors and a more savory, almost slightly bitter, finish. It was a wine to slowly sip, enjoying the subtle new flavors you found with each taste. A high quality Sparkling Wine, this also receives my hearty recommendation.

Murganheira is producing quality Sparkling Wines and I strongly recommend that you seek them out and enjoy some Portuguese bubbly. Locally, I rarely see Portuguese Sparkling Wine and I hope that will change soon. The Murganheira Touriga Nacional Bruto was more unique and the Sparkling Rosé  was killer. And if you visit Portugal, you should make try to visit Caves da Murganheira.