Vicente Faria Douro Animus Red Blend 2021 Wine Review

Natalie's Score: 90/100

A bold yet approachable red that opens with aromas of blackberry, plum, and blueberry, layered with hints of dark chocolate, spice, and a touch of dried herbs. It’s medium to full-bodied, dry, and smooth on the palate, with fine tannins, balanced acidity, and 13.5% alcohol giving it both freshness and depth. Serve it at room temperature to bring out its ripe fruit and savoury complexity. Fascinating fact: Winemaker Vicente Faria, a seventh-generation Douro vintner, crafts Animus from classic Portuguese grapes—Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Touriga Franca—using sustainable vineyard practices passed down through centuries of family tradition. This wine will drink beautifully now or evolve gracefully over the next 4–5 years. Douro Valley, one of the world’s oldest wine regions where terraced vineyards climb steep hillsides along the river. It’s produced by Vicente Faria Vinhos, a winery committed to farming organically and reducing its environmental impact. They’re saving the planet one delicious bottle at a time. We’re helping by drinking it. Teamwork. It’s a bold blend of native grapes like Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz that delivers intense aromas of blackberry, plum, and violet, followed by rich dark fruit flavours with notes of chocolate, leather, and a touch of Mediterranean herbs. The finish is long and warming with velvety tannins that coat your palate. This is a wine with serious personality and main character energy. Animus means spirit or soul in Latin, and this wine captures the passionate character of Portuguese winemaking. And here I thought my high school Latin class would never be useful. In vino veritas! I’d pair this with Portuguese-style grilled sardines where the charred skin peels away to reveal moist, oily flesh that stands up to the wine’s power or slow-braised short ribs falling off the bone in a rich red wine sauce that mingles with the meat’s marbled fat. Aged Manchego cheese would also work with quince paste where the crystalline sweetness cuts through the wine’s tannins while the cheese’s nutty complexity dances alongside. Or try spicy chorizo and white bean stew with smoky paprika-laced sausage releasing its oils into creamy beans creating liquid comfort or grilled portobello mushrooms brushed with garlic and olive oil until their meaty texture caramelizes and their earthy umami amplifies the wine’s depth.

Animus Red Blend food pairings: grilled lamb chops, where the wine’s dark fruit and spice mirror the meat’s richness. Or enjoy it with a roasted vegetable and sausage pasta, where its smooth texture and balanced acidity tie everything together.

This Vicente Faria Douro Animus Red Blend 2021 was reviewed on October 25, 2025 by Natalie MacLean

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Please note that our reviews are based on a variety of sources: samples sent to our team, those we purchase in store, tasting events, those tasted in restaurants and while traveling domestically and internationally.

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