Text Olga Cardoso | Translation Teresa Calisto

Quinta da Romeira located in the heart of Bucelas, is one of the oldest exporting wine regions, famous for its white wines and for that mentioned by Shakespeare in his Henry VI play.

There is indeed a strong connection between this estate and the United Kingdom. In 1703, Luis de Vasconcelos e Sousa, third Earl of Castelo Melhor, was one of the main intermediaries in negotiating the marriage contract between Princess Catherine of Braganza and King Charles II of England. In honor of the Princess, he founded the Saint Catherina estate and in it included Quinta da Romeira.

In the beginning of the XIV century, the noble Solar da Romeira offered stay to Sir Arthur Wellesley, who later became Duke of Wellington. From the manor’s Manueline windows he could see the famous lines of Torres Vedras that he had built on the outskirts of Lisbon, with the goal of preventing the invading (French) army from reaching the capital city of the Kingdom of Portugal.

Having tasted the Bucelas’ wines and becoming quite fond of them, he sent them to the English monarch at the time, George IV, who had also immensely appreciated these wines and started designating them as Wines of Lisbon.

Quinta da Romeira was recently bought by Wine Ventures, a Lisbon based company, led by Francisco de Sousa Ferreira, a high caliber manager, namely in wine and other beverages companies, like Unicer and Sogrape, where he was C.E.O.

The leadership in the winemaking field in currently in the hands of Manuel Pires da Silva, with a long and proven career, namely at Quinta do Minho. Manuel counts with the collaboration of the promising oenologist Maria Godinho, who adds youth and creativity to the bunch, and counts as well with the collaboration of the well-known and prestigious oenologist Manuel Vieira.

It was this friendly team plus the professional and dynamic Marketing Director Catarina Rente, who welcomed Blend | All About Wine on 25 September last.

In a very well organized tasting, we tasted a total of 7 wines. Five whites and two reds. The quality and consistency demonstrated by the different wines is in fact remarkable. The whites are fresh, with notable acidity and a delicious touch of sea air and salinity brought to them by the ocean close by. The reds, made from our Touriga Nacional and the French varieties Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, showed good body, good structure and gave us excellent signs of this company’s claim to also producing red wines.

Quinta da Romeira is indeed very close to the sea and the vast Tejo estuary. It has the largest continuous Arinto vineyard – around 75 hectares – and is, in my opinion, the producer of the best Arinto in the region, not just with regards to its typicality, but also to its unbeatable quality/price ratio. If you want to try a Bucelas Arinto, don’t hesitate to buy Quinta da Romeira!

I confess I am an unconditional fan of this house’s Arintos and so here are my personal notes on what I call the magnificent trilogy!

Prova Régia 2013
It aged for a month on fine lees and shows an exuberant nose with tropical fruit notes, like pineapple and passion fruit, accompanied by delicate citrus notes. In the mouth it is very fresh, with a well-controlled acidity, on a quite mineral background. A versatile and consensual wine.

Prova Régia Reserva 2013
Around 10% of this wine is fermented in new French oak barrels. Just enough to give it complexity without making the wood present and allowing it to show its whole varietal character. Very citrusy, lime and lemon dominating the aromatic set joined by the tropical notes and smooth salinity sensations. Mineral and fresh, it possesses a long and elegant finish. A living exemplar of the quality of Bucelas’ Arinto.

Morgado de Sta. Catherina 2012
The aroma is dominated by citrus notes in a slightly more jam-y version. The minerality is also felt, accompanied by light honey sensations and spicy touches. Due to its fermentation in wood, it displays a remarkable structure. Voluminous and gluttonous, it is also very elegant and full of personality. With an irreprehensible acidity and a quite persistent finish, it reveals itself as a haughty, noble and striking Arinto.

Contacts
Wine Ventures LDA
Quinta da Romeira de Cima
2670-678 Bucelas
Portugal
Tel.: (+351) 219 687 023 \ (+351) 219 687 071
Email: info@wineventures.eu
Site: www.wineventures.eu