Sonante DOP Dão Tinto by Casa Américo. A Wine That Lingers

My name is Olesia, and I look after procurement and sales at 79North. A big part of what I do is travel. I visit vineyards, meeting the people behind the wines, and trying to understand what makes a place and a producer worth talking about. This year, we're sharing those stories more openly, starting with a January visit to the Dão region of Portugal.

The place

Dão sits in the heart of Portugal, ringed by mountains that shelter the vineyards from extremes. In January, there's still snow on the granite peaks. It's a region with a long winemaking history, long associated with reds that age gracefully rather than impress immediately - wines built on freshness, structure, and detail rather than weight.

The granite soils here are demanding. Vines have to dig deep, and what comes through in the glass is a kind of tension and clarity that's hard to find elsewhere.

The wine: Sonante

Sonante means resonant - and it's an apt name. This is a wine that doesn't shout, but stays with you after the glass is empty. It's made from three classic Dão varieties: Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, and Tinta Roriz, grown on high-altitude vineyards rooted in that characteristic granite. The result is precise and elegant: fresh red berries, a floral lift, subtle spice, and a mineral backbone that keeps everything in balance.

• Region: Dão, Portugal
• Grapes: Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Roriz
• Style: Medium-bodied, fresh, finely structured
• Serve: 16–18°C - a short decant opens the aromatics nicely
• Goes well with: Roast chicken, mushroom dishes, grilled vegetables, pork, or simply good conversation

The people: Casa Américo

Casa Américo is a family project with a clear point of view: express Dão honestly. No excess oak, no over-extraction. Their wines are built on purity, balance, and drinkability - a modern understanding of what the region does best. Sonante is their contemporary take on that: authentic, versatile, and quietly confident.

A note for trade

Sonante works well across a range of contexts - as an introduction to Portuguese wine beyond the familiar names, as a food-friendly option for relaxed but considered dining, or as a gift bottle with a genuine story behind it. The Dão, still underappreciated relative to its quality, gives it a point of difference that's easy to talk about.

Feel free to order it HERE.

To enquire about stock or place an order, get in touch at sales@seventy9north.co.uk.