Dona Maria Tinto 2022

Dona Maria Tinto 2022 is a regional Alentejo wine of excellent balance and structure, made by renowned producer Júlio Bastos (Dona Maria Vinhos) in Estremoz. Made from Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, this red ages for about 6 months in French and American oak barrels.

The Wine Advocate
RP 90+

Reviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez

The namesake 2022 Dona Maria Tinto was made from a blend of 40% Alicante Bouschet, 25% Touriga Nacional, 20% Syrah and 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, seeking to express the region's identity through a combination of different cultures and influences.

It shows forest fruit, herbs and spice, with notes typical of the different grapes — notably black olives from the Syrah and violets from the Touriga Nacional. It has complexity and juicy ripe fruit, yet keeps balance and freshness, with 13.5% alcohol, restrained ripeness and a pH of 3.61 with 5.9 g/L of acidity.

An easy wine to understand and drink, pleasant and with fine tannins. About 60% of the volume aged in used French oak barrels, while the rest stayed in cement tanks. 180,000 bottles were produced. The wine was bottled in December 2025.

The Dona Maria project

Dona Maria is the project of Júlio Bastos, who ran an old estate called Quinta do Carmo between 1986 and 2000, which from 1992 was part of a partnership with the Rothschild group.

Júlio Bastos started the Dona Maria project in 2003 and is the fourth generation of winemakers on this estate. Today he has 72 hectares of vineyards around Estremoz, in the northern Alentejo, including five hectares of vines over 70 years old, with Alicante Bouschet from the same clone used in the first vineyard of this grape planted in Portugal, plus five hectares planted in 2017.

The winery consists of three old buildings from the 19th century, restored in 2003. One has 19th-century marble lagares, where the grapes are traditionally foot-trodden.

There are also 18 cement tanks used for ageing the reds. The newest building has fermentation tanks for whites, reds and rosés, plus a bottling and labelling line.

Average production is around half a million bottles a year. The style is described as a neoclassical Alentejo, combining French and Portuguese grapes.

Published: 11 June 2026