CH by Chocapalha Old Vine Arinto 2022 for Christmas

21/12/2025The CH by Chocapalha Old Vine Arinto 2022, recently distinguished with the 'Grande Prémio Escolha da Imprensa' (Press's Choice Grand Prize) in the white wine category at the annual competition promoted by Grandes Escolhas magazine, is the producer's recommended wine for Christmas.

This wine, an Arinto from old vines that pays homage to the Chocapalha family matriarch, Alice Tavares da Silva, was one of the top three scoring white wines among 600 entries evaluated by a jury of 44 media professionals—from television, radio, print, and digital platforms. Only the three highest-rated wines in each category receive the ‘Grande Prémio Escolha da Imprensa’.

Produced at Quinta de Chocapalha in the Lisboa wine region, the CH by Chocapalha Old Vine Arinto 2022 is crafted by winemakers Sandra Tavares da Silva and Miguel Cavaco. Sourced from the estate’s oldest Arinto plot, planted in 1991, the wine reflects the family’s strong connection to this variety, which occupies 9 hectares of the estate on the slopes of the Serra de Montejunto.

Fermentation lasted 27 days in neutral French oak barrels at low temperatures, followed by nine months of aging in the same barrels on fine lees with regular bâtonnage. According to the winemaking team, the result is a white wine with a fresh and delicate profile, featuring citrus and floral notes, pronounced minerality, firm acidity, and expressive complexity.

With a production of fewer than 2,000 bottles, this wine represents, in the producer’s words, the convergence of three generations currently involved in the work at Quinta de Chocapalha, aiming to capture the ‘family spirit’ associated with the matriarch’s legacy.