A Journey Through Portugal in Every Season
Lusitania Wine Club
A Journey Through Portugal in Every Season
Current Summer Collection — Summer Beyond the Beach
Portugal’s summer wines go far beyond poolside sipping.
This collection explores depth, balance, and versatility — bottles that handle food, heat, and long evenings with ease. Six wines chosen not just to refresh, but to reward.
From the cool, granite-crossed hills of Vinho Verde to the wide, sun-soaked plains of the Alentejo, this shipment shows you what Portuguese wine looks like when summer asks more of it.
6 bottles · $185 · Shipping included
Wine Is Better When It Works for You
Wine is better when it works for you. This one works in every direction.
Summer in Portugal does not slow the wine down. It sharpens it. The whites get brighter and more alive. The reds find freshness you do not expect from a country that runs this warm.
This shipment is built around that idea: wines that belong at the table, not just beside the pool.
Open all three whites together and let the room notice how different they are from each other. Organic Vinho Verde, aromatic Vinho Verde, and a textured, skin-contact Alvarinho that sits somewhere between a white and something altogether more serious.
Then move to the reds and let the contrast between the Alentejo and the Douro do the work.
Each bottle in this shipment includes tasting notes, producer background, and conversation starters. Everything you need to guide the table, whether you are new to Portuguese wine or have been following it for years.
What’s Included This Quarter
2024 LIV — Organic Vinho Verde DOC
Avesso and Arinto from certified organic estates across Vinho Verde. Fermented to preserve freshness, minerality, and a gentle natural spritz that lifts every sip. Light, aromatic, and clean, this is the kind of wine that disappears from the table faster than you expect.
Open this one first, ice-cold, before anyone sits down. It sets the tone.
2023 Chapeleiro — Vinho Verde DOC
Arinto and Loureiro crafted to highlight the region’s natural aromatic finesse and precision. White stone fruit and subtle tropical notes lead into a light, precise palate with bright acidity, delicate structure, and a clean, persistent finish.
Pour this alongside the LIV and let people find their preference. Both are Vinho Verde. They are not the same wine.
2019 Vale dos Ares Alvarinho Borras Finas — Vinho Verde DOC
This is not the Vinho Verde people expect. Made from 100% hand-harvested Alvarinho with cold skin maceration, stainless-steel fermentation, and extended fine-lees aging with regular bâtonnage.
Grapefruit and green citrus lead the nose, followed by a creamy, layered palate with ripe orange, lemon leaf, and a long finish that rewards attention. This wine needs food. Serve it with grilled fish, seafood rice, or something rich enough to meet it halfway.
This is the white that surprises people. Open it with the main course.
2023 Herdade das Albernoas Tinto — Alentejo
Aragonez, Trincadeira, and Touriga Nacional from the Castelo Branco family estate, one of the Alentejo’s oldest continuously farmed properties. Fermented in temperature-controlled stainless steel to preserve fruit expression and softness.
Ruby in color, with red fruit on the nose and a palate that is smooth, gentle, and built for easy enjoyment. This is the Alentejo without the weight — a red that works in summer because it does not push.
Serve this slightly cool, around 61°F. It opens up and stays friendly.
2024 Alegra Red — Douro DOC
Touriga Nacional leads this blend, joined by Touriga Franca and other traditional Douro varieties. Fermented in stainless steel with controlled pump-overs, then aged for twelve months partly in 500-liter French oak and partly in stainless steel to preserve freshness without over-oaking.
Wild blackberry, cherry, and black plum meet the floral violet lift typical of Touriga Nacional, with subtle clove and black pepper from the oak. Firm tannins, bright acidity, and a long, lively finish give this wine the most structure and aging potential in the shipment.
Open this one an hour early. Decant it if you can. Give it the space it deserves.
2022 DIVAI Alicante Bouschet — Alentejo
Made from 100% Alicante Bouschet, fully destemmed and fermented in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats to emphasize purity of fruit and preserve the variety’s natural power.
Deep and intense in color, with aromas of dried plum and wild black fruit. Full-bodied and rich on the palate, framed by firm, elegant tannins and a long finish with subtle peppery spice.
Place it beside the Alegra and you have two completely different expressions of depth — one from the Douro, one from the Alentejo, and neither one giving ground.
This is the wine you finish the night with. Open it last and let it close the conversation.
How to Make the Most of This Shipment
Open the three whites together.
Start with the LIV, cold and easy. Move to the Chapeleiro, one step more expressive. Open the Borras Finas last, with food already on the table.
Ask your guests which wine surprised them most. The Borras Finas wins that conversation almost every time.
Move to the reds while the meal is still going. Open the Albernoas Tinto slightly cool and notice how differently it behaves from what most people expect from the Alentejo.
Then bring out the Alegra and let the Douro’s structure speak. Finish with the DIVAI Alicante Bouschet and let the depth of the Alentejo close the shipment the way it deserves.
Each step in the progression teaches something: how Vinho Verde ranges from easy to serious, how the Alentejo can move from light and smooth to dense and structured, and how the Douro sits between them with its own kind of elegance.
What You Learn With This Shipment
You learn that Vinho Verde is not one thing.
You learn that skin maceration on Alvarinho builds a white wine that needs a meal, not just a moment.
You learn that Alicante Bouschet is one of Portugal’s most powerful red varieties and that the Alentejo knows exactly what to do with it.
You learn that the Douro makes reds of precision and structure that can age, but do not need to.
None of that requires a textbook. It simply requires six bottles and people willing to pay attention.