Ventozelo Craft Dry Gin – Quinta de Ventozelo – Douro – 45% – 50cl

Ventozelo Craft Dry Gin is a distinctive Portuguese gin created at Quinta de Ventozelo in the Douro, designed to capture the aromas of the estate’s Mediterranean-influenced woodland, orchards and surrounding landscape. Rather than relying on a conventional neutral grain base, the botanical infusion is prepared using a vinous spirit distilled from Quinta de Ventozelo’s own wines. The producer developed the gin through a research project involving the Instituto de Ciências Biomédicas Abel Salazar and Cantinho das Aromáticas, selecting botanicals that represent the natural environment of the estate. Your bottle identifies the botanicals as juniper, lemon, coriander, lemon thyme, Portuguese thyme, lavender, cornflower and mint, together with the Conspiração D’Ouro herbal blend from Cantinho das Aromáticas. The result combines fresh citrus and herbal notes with juniper, lavender and Mediterranean herbs, while the wine-derived spirit contributes an unusually smooth, persistent and subtly vinous character. The producer recommends a simple serve with neutral tonic, ice and juniper berries so the estate botanicals remain prominent. It’s a good example of a terroir-driven Portuguese gin: both the wine spirit and much of the aromatic inspiration originate directly from the Ventozelo estate.