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Posts Tagged : Bruno Mendes

Santa Vitória – Alentejo Wines
March 2, 2016 no comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

Located in Alentejo, just 25 Kms from Beja, close to a small Alentejo town (Santa Vitória) we can find Casa de Santa Vitória, fully integrated in an agricultural and leisure environment.

Established in 2002, Casa de Santa Vitória belongs to the Vila Galé Group and its main focus is the production and trade of Alentejo wines and olive oils. Here wines are produced by combining the most advanced vinification technologies with traditional techniques.

The vines, planted in the Herdade da Malhada in Santa Vitória, comprise 127 ha of the noblest Portuguese and French grape varieties best suited to the “terroir” of the region, namely, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira, Aragonês, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Caiada, Alicante Bouschet e Baga for the reds and in paints and Verdejo, Sauvignon Blanc, Viozinho, Antão Vaz, Arinto, Chardonnay for the whites.

Since the winery is surrounded by the vineyards, the grapes arrive quickly without undergoing changes and are processed immediately after their arrival.

For a more detailed view of this wine producer see the video below:

Blandy’s – Over 200 years of history
February 24, 2016 no comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

It’s in one of the portuguese archipelagos, specifically in Madeira, that we can find Blandy’s. It’s a secular producer of Madeira wine with over 200 years of existence, which was founded by John Blandy who arrived at this archipelago in 1808.

Here are used the most modern winemaking techniques, but without ever neglecting the old and secular traditions of Madeira wine.

The wine is aged in two stages. In the first process the wine undergoes oxidation in a warm space where the bouquets flourish and the wine transforms into Madeira wine. The second phase takes longer, lasts years. The wines are stored in a cooler place in barrels to sharpen their bouquet.

For a more detailed view of the history and wines from this company please see the video below.

Herdade de Vale Barqueiros
February 10, 2016 no comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

A few kilometers from Alter do Chão we find Herdade de Vale Barqueiros. With an area of around 800 ha it was founded in 1853 and belongs to Comendador Vasco Faria’s family. At the moment it has 368 ha of olive grove and 122 ha of vineyards, in which are mainly planted the grape varieties as Arinto, Fernão Pires and Antão Vaz in the whites and Aragonês, Trincadeira and Touriga Nacional in the reds. But they also bet on the international grape varieties such as the Alicante Bouschet, Syrah and the Cabarnet Sauvignon.

This Herdade also holds 140 ha of cork oak and stone pine, 2 dams, 3 ponds, a hunting area, a sport fishing club and has its own winery where the wine is produced making use of the most modern technologies without ever neglecting the tradition and the knowledge acquired over the more than 25 years producing “Vale Barqueiros” wines. Since 2010, Joachim Roque is the one in charge of the oenology and seeks together with his team to create personalized wines with above-average quality that reveal this estate’s “terroir”.

To get to know more details about this estate see the video below:

Quinta do Vallado
February 3, 2016 no comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

It’s one of the oldest and most famous Quintas in the Douro Valley. Built in 1716 it was owned by Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira and remains until today in the family. We’re talking about Quinta do Vallado, close to Peso da Régua in the riverbanks of the Corgo river.

In 1993, at a time when the direction was already in charge of Guilherme Álvares Ribeiro and his wife Maria Antónia Ferreira the company decided to expand its area of activity by doing production, bottling and trading with its own brand. Up until then and for 200 years Quinta do Vallado had as its main activity the production of Port wines that were then sold under the name Casa Ferreira, which also belonged to the family.

Nowadays Quinta do Vallado has 70 hectares of planted vineyard 20 of which are vines with over 80 years and the remaining 50 with vines from 11 to 18 years old. The most prevalent grape varieties planted here are Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Barroca, Tinta Amarela e Sousão for the reds and Viosinho, Rabigato, Moscatel, Verdelho (Gouveio) e Arinto for the whites.

Finished in 2009 both the new winery and cellar have the most advance tecnhology and na architecture of quality, which make the Quinta a fantastic space and one of the places to visit in the Douro Valley (Baixo Corgo).

More recently Quinta do Vallado has opened the doors of another estate located in Douro Superior (Foz Côa). The Quinta do Orgal (river house), which has magnificent facilities and views over the river – see here what we’re talking about.

For a more detailed vision check the video below and Sarah Ahmed’s previous article about this Quinta.

Herdade da Comporta
January 13, 2016 no comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

Herdade da Comporta, a property located 1 hour south of Lisbon, on the Alentejo coast, between Alcácer do Sal and Grândola. The landscape is stroke by beaches, dunes, pine forests and rice fields which provide a unique beauty and very desirable to tourism.

With 12,500 hectares Herdade da Comporta is one of the leading national agricultural producers. Here you can expect to taste quality wine as well as horseback riding, golfing, beach, yoga, bird watching, among others. A world of experiences awaits you. The video below reflects some of the magic that you can find in this Estate.

Wines José de Sousa, prestige and history
January 6, 2016 no comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

The dream of producing Alentejo wine using traditional winemaking methods from an estate with history and prestige led José Maria da Fonseca to buy Casa Agrícola José de Sousa Rosado Fernandes, located in the heart of Alentejo, Reguengos de Monsaraz. A house that in terms of wine producing already knows the turning of 3 centuries.

For a more detailed information of the wines José de Sousa you can read the previously written article by João Pedro de Carvalho here.

If you’re looking to know more about other wines from José Maria da Fonseca you can also see the article written by João Barbosa here.

In the old wine cellar we can find clay amphoras where the wines spend some part of their fermentation process, an ancient technique of winemaking inherited from the romans. The modern wine cellar is equipped with cutting edge technology where a talented and demanding team gives life to wines with vibrant personality, sofistication and nobility.

The wines José de Sousa seek to combine modernity with the rigor of tradition, reflecting Alentejo’s light and sun’s heat.

All this with more detail in the video below:

Quinta do Crasto, in the heart of Douro
December 30, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

Quinta do Crasto, located in the heart of the Douro between Régua and Pinhão, is owned by the family of Leonor and Jorge Roquette for over a century. 70 hectares of a total of 130 have vineyards planted, which rise from the riverbank up to 600m attitude.

Besides the production of DOC Douro wines and Port wines, they also produces olive oil. The passion for work of the winemakers as well as all members of the team, along with heavy investments in cutting-edge equipment allows a concept that combines respect for tradition and at the same time, lifelong learning, improvement and innovation, which projected Quinta do Crasto in domestic and international markets.

The history of Quinta do Crasto is rich and vast, starting with the first references to this Quinta dating back to 1615. The Crasto name derives from the Latin word Castrum that means Roman fort.

All this and more in the video below.

Murganheira – Much more than a sparkling wine
December 10, 2015 2 comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

It’s in the Varosa valley (a region where the Douro and the Beira meets) that Murganheira grows the grapes to their wines and sparkling wines. Founded over 60 years ago Murganheira has 30 hectares of vineyard and monitors over 1.000 hectares. Taking up on the knowledge of the Cistercian monks, Murganheira‘s winemaking process makes use of ancient techniques that are constantly being improved and with state of the art technology and equipment. The wines and sparkling wines then age in their unique blue granite cellars. The next step is the remuage using a combination of traditional and present-day methods that culminate in a Champenois technique which Murganheira has mastered for many years now, the dégorgement à la volée. The end result is one of the most iconic, if not the most iconic, sparkling wine of Portugal.

Stay tuned for our upcoming article about Murganheira sparkling wines. Meanwhile stay with this institucional video of the brand.

Herdade da Malhadinha Nova – Wine Tourism of Excellence
December 2, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by

Text Bruno Mendes

It was with the dream of producing high quality wines, the best in the world, that in 1998 the Soares family (João, Paulo, Rita and Margarete Soares) acquired Herdade da Malhadinha Nova.

The first vines were planted in 2001 and in 2003 the Malhadinha’s wine cellar was inaugurated in which it was also integrated a restaurant that offers a signature cuisine with local and fresh products.

The vinification is made in modern refrigerated vats where the traditional methods of winemaking and the use of technology merge together. The labels of all wines produced at Herdade da Malhadinha Nova are drawn and designed by the younger generation of the Soares family.

In the property they also raise Alentejo cattle and black pig. We can also find and olive grove and a stud (that was born in 2008 that had right from the start 6 thoroughbred Lusitano mares).

The hotel, with an integrated Spa, blends tradition with modernity, merging design, rural concept, comfort and elegance together resulting in a complete wine tourism unit with a wide range capable to respond to all visitors, whether they are wine/gastronomy/nature/culture or tradition lovers. There’s also a broad range of activities and experiences such as visiting the estate and the winery, a number of wine tastings and wine tasting courses for beginners, thematic wine tastings, barrel tastings and lunches or picnics in the vineyards, horseback riding or ballooning.

Still not convinced?

Don’t lose the next piece about Herdade da Malhadinha Nova which will be published next Thursday (December 10). Meanwhile stay with this amazing video and João Pedro de Carvalho’s previous article about this estate’s wines.

Vídeo produced by ENCORE FILMES