Blend All About Wine Arquivo de João Barbosa - Page 4 of 8

Colares wines

November 24, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

The Agricultural Reform allowed the human species to prosper. Later, it started domesticating animals and invited the cat into the family. It encouraged writing and Mathematics given the need to create inventories.

As a predictable outcome, “smart farming” was created; that in which man intervenes beyond the fieldwork. First it was bread, and then perhaps beer – some may claim that wine came first, but I don’t believe so.

Man tasted and was happy when he tried the result of a mix of water and barley seeds forgotten or neglected in some container. Using that grain, Man may have experimented with other ingredients. One thing is certain (!), which is the effect of alcohol as it induces a change in our state of consciousness, the driving force behind producing these drinks.

So far, so good, summarised down to the bone. Dilemmas come with difficulty, when the answer isn’t so clear although some of the evidence may be correct. A big mystery for me is Colares red wine.

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Carrying Grapes

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Adega de Colares

The region, within the Metropolitan area of Lisbon, was registered a long time ago, but it won when it was nominated in the 19th century. Not surprising, seeing as the plague of phylloxera decimated European vineyards. Aphid do not survive in the sand, and the soil is sandy in Colares.

Colares red wine is mostly produced from the Ramisco grape variety. When it’s young, it’s incredibly rich in tannins; they used to add white wine to it a few years ago, especially from the Colares Malvasia variety.

Adding red and white wine made it all so much easier. Modern times “created” the rush. Wines used to have their cycle and everyone accepted that. They drank it young and knew they needed to wait until it reached its zenith.

Eça de Queiroz, the writer, was well travelled and a cosmopolitan. He got terribly bored in the countryside. He was a diplomat and knew the lights of Europe’s developed cities. Portugal was hillbilly town. Queiroz’s work is loaded with wine quotes, and Colares are some of the most common mentions – perhaps the most highlighted.

Eça de Queiroz was part of a group of intellectuals, called Vencidos da Vida (Disappointed in Life), which brought light to Lisbon “village”, and Realism as a form of art and literature. The 70s Generation, another name for the “club”, filled their bellies in O Leão d’Ouro restaurant, right by Rossio station in Lisbon. The venue is still there. Inside, Columbano Bordalo Pinheiro painted the most famous moment of those discussions.

Growing vines in Colares is painful because they’re low and you need to crouch down or sit on your knees to work… That did not discourage the 70s Generation’s bourgeois and aristocratic figures – the folk worked hard and there they were, motionless for generations.

But this effort is important. I will add something: (at least) ten years must be added after the hard work on the vines before you can drink it… Only a wonderful result could explain this. However! …

Colares wines

Eça de Queiroz

Who could have thought of storing some Colares wine? Only a crazy fool! A compulsive poisoner! Someone mad for revenge! I shall explain this with a statement that is claimed to be by Eça de Queiroz: “Either this wine is ruined or it is a new Colares.”

Winemakers know the cycle of evolution that wine moves through until it can be revealed. However, only a madman would save a drop of new-born wine from Colares. An angel must have whispered in his ear to save it, for one day it would be drunk with great pleasure.

I am an unconditional fan of wine from Colares, and the sharpness in Eça de Queiroz is sublime… only when I tasted a new wine, a new-born, did I comprehend the dimension of the statement claimed to be by this writer.

Fortunately, I have drunk as far as the 1911 vintage… and…

See more about Colares here and here.

Pôpa Fiction – three wines given to crime and seduction,Quinta do Pôpa

November 18, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

Good evening, welcome to my place. Have a seat; I will serve you some wine in a moment. Tonight, we dine in the living room. I’m feeling groovy.

– We all are!

– In the living room?! Preppy-boy’s gone mad!

– Shut up, Pedro. Let me finish. I feel this groove and…

– We all do!

– Well, seeing as you all answered back in a chorus this time… I shall sulk and dance my way to the kitchen to bring you some appetisers. I’m glad the good vibes are unanimous.

[Once back in the living room]

– Why has nobody turned music on yet?! Are you trying to upset me? We have three wines for tonight… and there’s some logic to them. They come in a sequence… Bibbidi! Bobbidi! Boo!

[Everybody is dancing to You Never Can Tell by Chuck Berry… Pulp Fiction].

– Wow, the party has only just begun and the rug is already drizzled with red… hurrah!

– What are we drinking?

– Hot Lips 2012. Let me change the track… Why Don’t You Do Right by Katherine Turner… [Who Framed Roger Rabbit]

– Roger Rabbit! But tell us more about the wine…

– It’s red…

– Yup!

– That’s obvious.

– Come on, tell us!

– Douro.

– Oh, come on!

– Duh!… Didn’t you get it yet? We have to be careful… walls have ears. They could be listening in on us… the grape varieties are secret.

– L-O-L.

– Look, the bottle’s finished. What should I open now?

– That one… that one over there. It says In The Flesh 2012.

– Cool!

– Play Bryan Ferry’s Slave To Love…

– Whoa! From Nine 1/2 Weeks… Wow!

– Just the thought of Kim Basinger…

– And me instead of Mickey Rourke.

– I never got what women see in him…

– Tough luck! Girl stuff. Never mind. Tough!

– What’s up with the wine?

– What do you mean, what’s up?!

– It keeps ending…

– Open that one now… Is everybody ready? Let’s go!

– Wow! It tastes delicious! What is it?

– You don’t want to know…

– Psycho!

– Take that disc out and play this one, please.

– What is it? Good choice.

– What is it? …What?

– Push It To The Limit.

– Paul Engemann?!

– Yup!

– Scarface!…

– Yes!

– Nailed it! Tell me, what are we eating?

– You have to figure it out for yourself. This dinner’s a crime fiction.

Besides “formal” wines, Quinta do Pôpa have a conceptual side and, until now, it has amusingly been called Pôpa Art Projects. The first were Lolita and Milf. For this occasion, we had the second episode; this idea is a toast to the world of seduction, crime and the cinema.

The bottles in this trilogy (Pôpa Fiction) contain one litre, a little tease… or rather, a slight stifling of ideas. Each wine has its own name and label, which feature Mário Belém’s artwork.

Hot Lips 2012 is a greedy wine; relaxed, thus, dangerous. I recommend having it before a dinner date… That’s it – smooth and sexy.

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Now the second, In The Flesh 2012, is the most “substantial” on the mouth. It’s meetier. “A bad egg,” say the sibling vintners, Stéphane and Vanessa Ferreira. Exactly… it does slip down easily, but a few appetisers can only do you good. Say hot appetisers like puff-pastry nibbles, smoked sausages and some cheeses.

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The third wine in the gang is The Grape Escape 2012. It’s a sort of Al Capone. It demands respect and must be taken with strong and powerful food. It’s a little more rustic and food friendly.

To drink them all in one occasion is funny and logical, because there’s an evident evolution in the style of the wines, from the easiest one to drink to the one that shakes up the table.

All you have to do is fantasise a little and you’ll see a detective plot being “written” in front of you – orally – as every person at the table adds a bit. Then, and if there’s any strength left, play Cluedo – one of the most amusing games to play when you’re inebriated.

Contacts
Quinta do Pôpa, Lda.
E.N. 222 – Adorigo
5120-011 Tabuaço
Portugal
Email: geral@quintadopopa.com
Mobile: (+351) 915 678 498
Site: www.quintadopopa.com

Lagoalva Barrel Selection Red 2013

November 11, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

During the Estado Novo [“New State”] dictatorship (1926 – 1974), several archetypes were created for identifying provinces, the organisational body that no longer exists. There was a reductive nationalist iconography, but also a regional one. People valued folklore highly, and by folklore, I mean fandango [a duel-dance between two men, different from the Spanish fandango].

Ribatejo

On the Ribatejo archetype they drew wild bulls – the noble animals of the presently polemic bullfights –, campinos [equestrian cattle shepherds] and obviously bunches of grapes. Wine had crucial weight on Economy and the food industry, since this was the only province to mass-produce.

The desire for big production made it so that vines (generalising) were on rich grounds. However, the vineyard is masochistic. Their reputation wasn’t the best until a few years ago. However, the certifying commission and several producers – in a growing number – started changing their image. The corollary move was changing the designation from Ribatejo to Tejo.

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One of the first agricultural organisations to wake up to this new reality was Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima, right by Alpiarça. This company produces a lot more than wine, with olive oil being a high-quality identifying product. A huge amount of produce is farmed there. A lot of produce and forestry can fit into 6200 acres.

There are four degrees of wines at different prices. They share a common trait and then separate into two branches: quality and “honesty”. This truth translates into regularity and consistency in production and sales – however, you must take into account the specific climatic situation of every year.

I refuse to cave into the obsessive urge to sentence (almost decree) the quality/price ratio. To each their own concept and taste, financial availability, and opinion on where prices stop being reasonable. I avoid mentioning prices because I have no data to back any amount. I will only say that these wines are at the reach of a middle-class pocket; they won’t cost you a month’s wage or even a week’s work.

One of the first references I had was the white Lagoalva Talhão 1. I didn’t like it! However, it came closer (I got closer) and it’s a wine (abstract reference) that I enjoy in the Summer as an aperitif or for a relaxed social do. There is a relaxed manner to the Lagoalva range, but it’s still competent enough for the table.

They have many wines, and I only wrote a summary of what there is to say about them, which I feel translated the good work going on in this company. Here’s the reason why: Lagoalva Barrel Selection Red 2013. The ranges consist of Monte da Lagoalva, Espírito Lagoalva, Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima and Quinta da Lagoalva.

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Just like with the previous and with the forgotten wines, this one is easy to like – in the best sense of the word. Yet, it’s a different “thing”. The very designation already tells you that you’re witnessing something special: a choice of many casks that generated 4000 bottles.

It’s a pairing of Syrah and Touriga Nacional in equal percentages. It aged for a year in new French oak casks. The wood is there, but it doesn’t feel crushing. It shouldn’t be drunk in big gulps, but rather slowly.

Just as Autumn and Winter feasts, which take their time given the rich and substantial table with the food acting as a more complex and demanding partner. I agree with the producer when he suggests oven dishes. I’m thinking about Christmas.

Contacts
Sociedade Agrícola da Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima, S.A.
Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima
2090-222 Alpiarça
Tel: (+351) 243 559 070
Email: geral@lagoalva.pt
Website: www.lagoalva.pt

Bottled wine was for parties

November 4, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

Fifty years ago, copyright “did not dilute into the sea of currently existing brands and it wasn’t as vulnerable to ‘market preferences’ and to opinion makers’ classifications. This made customer loyalty possible, which strengthened brands, companies, business and the style of the wine” – explains Virgílio Loureiro.

“Bottled wine was for special occasions, and the most sought-after was Dão. This popularity had been granted mostly because those had been the first wines to be bottled, and not for their quality. The brand was “collective”, associated to the region of origin, and was almost always superimposed over the company brand. There were also some individual brands, some of which were legendary as a result of the quality of the wine and mainly of the genius method with which it was advertised,” tells Virgílio Loureiro.

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An iconic example is Grão-Vasco, which emerged in 1958 after Fernando Guedes (Sogrape) visited Dão. The brand was named the after a painter, Vasco Fernandes (Grão-Vasco – 15^th and 16^th centuries), who was from Viseu.

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Between the Dão and Bairrada regions, there is the classic Buçaco (white and red) from Bussaco Palace Hotel. For bureaucratic reasons, it has no harvest date, but the year of the blend tells us in what year it was harvested. Alexandre Almeida, the founder’s nephew, tells us that everything started because it was the “house wine” and the first bottle dates from 1917.

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Wines are traditionally made through the combination of Bairrada and Dão grapes – traditional farmer wines, not oenologist wines. “From the start, the goal was to allow the traveller to discover local gastronomy and wines while they experienced a genuine cultural statement”. At the table, traditional dishes were served “at the same level as the Escoffier cuisine, which was modern at the time”.

In the year 1964, Adega Cooperativa de Borba Reserva appeared. It was simply known as “cork label”, because they used cork instead of paper.

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Some wines have been renamed: Tinto Velho (1878) is now José de Sousa. Conde d’Ervideira Reserva (circa 1880) still exists, but above that is yet the Conde d’Ervideira Private Selection. This wine was brought back from the dead; its production was abandoned in 1954 and restarted in 1991.

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Gaeiras Branco, made with the Vital grape variety, experienced great prestige in the 60s and 70s – however, it only started receiving awards in 1876.

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It died down for a few years, having re-emerged with the 2013 harvest – its heir is Casa das Gaeiras Vinhas Velhas.

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One of the most reputed Alentejo wines was named after Peramanca, the place. It was registered in the 19^th century by José António Soares and gained value, but then finished. In 1987, the Pêra Manca brand was donated to the foundation [Fundação] Eugénio de Almeida, under the condition that it was to only appear in exceptional years. The first white is from 1990 and the red is from 1991. The original label features a watercolour by Alfredo Roque Gameiro (1864 – 1935), but in 2003, it was redesigned and simplified.

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John Reynolds, Thomas Reynolds’s grandson who bought Herdade do Mouchão, decided to plant a vineyard of the Alicante Bouschet grape variety – for the first time in Portugal. Mouchão was also reborn, in 1985. The cellar was raised in 1901 and production was carried out until the occupation of the (Marxist) Agrarian Reform.

Contrary to how I had originally predicted, I found more brands than expected. It’s impossible to remember them all. I will list a few more: Caves do Solar de São Domingos, Colares Chitas, Viúva Gomes, Lagoa Reserva, Messias Santola, Messias Vinho Verde, Messias Rosé, Frei João, Porta de Cavaleiros, Montes Claros, Pasmados…

Three great brands: Casal Garcia, Lancers and Mateus

October 28, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

For someone who studied history, to write a long chronicle about wines, and in chapters, it feels like a cat that got the cream. The Egyptian civilisation lasted almost 3200 years and fits in a book… more or less. I marked down the 50 year-old brands and chose the survivors – a lot of wine was sold in bulk, and in litre bottles, known for the six embossed stars.

Vasco d’Avillez, now the president of the Lisbon Wine Growing and Producing Committee (Commissão Vitivinícola de Lisboa), remembers that wine exports back then “rose at a high rate, and that producers started collecting very high-quality materials.”

After the Second World War, two North-American citizens had huge influence on business in Portugal. They predicted that when troops returned, they would bring European souvenirs with them, and wine would be one of the top choices. However, nothing would have happened if it weren’t for the vision of two Portuguese men: António Porto Soares Franco (José Maria da Fonseca) and Fernando Guedes (Sogrape).

The Count of Vila Real, whose house is in Mateus, was once visited by an American, who, upon tasting a wine of the Alvarelhão variety, said that it would make a good rosé. Sogrape, founded in 1942, took the hint and followed the advice given to the titled man.

The wine was named after the small baroque palace, and Sogrape made a contract with the Count of Vila Real to use a picture of the building. However, there is no other connection between the Mateus mansion and the wine.

Down south, in Azeitão, José Maria da Fonseca was already cooking up a rosé. Faísca was a commercial success hosting promotional dos, events, sponsors… In 1944, Henry Behar, who had a distributor in the United States, wanted to take it, but there was a big problem! Faísca sounds a little like fiasco. He thought of “The Surrender of Breda”, the painting by Diego Velázquez, also known as “Las Lanzas”, or “Lancers.”

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Vasco d’Avillez stresses that millions of litres were produced in the beginning. In 1975, the Mateus achieved 36 million bottles, and Lancers made 18 million. Another sales champion is Casal Garcia, the oldest brand of Vinho Verde.

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In 1938, French oenologist Eugène Hélisse “landed” by chance in Quinta da Aveleda – the episode runs long. Although reluctant, Roberto Guedes accepted his spontaneous application. Incipient consumer tests were done among family and friends, establishing the wine’s profile. Where to put it? A blue bottle seemed seductive, and the label is a reproduction of the lady’s scarf. Aveleda quickly started making heavy investments on promotion. Of the many types of aphorism used as incentives for shopping, a slogan stayed with us… and until today: “Haja alegria. Haja Casal Garcia»[literally: May there be joy [alegria]. May there be Casal Garcia.]

Both brands went global and invested heavily on promotion to such a point that counterfeits emerged. Because of their popularity, political activists in many countries rallied to boycott the purchase of these two wines, given the Portuguese political regime at the time, and the wars in Africa.

Two magnates

October 21, 2015 1 comment in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

Abel Pereira da Fonseca was a prosperous wine dealer. In 1906, he opened a trading post in Poço do Bispo – away from touristic routes. However, the building makes an interesting sight for those with enough time to spare. The avenue wasn’t there before and boats used to dock to offload the wine from the southern border of Tejo.

At the time, taverns were linked to the coal business. This businessman created the Val do Rio network, with venues where one could enjoy a nice glass of wine in a neat environment. In 1928, there were about 50 venues, and in 1937, there were close to one-hundred. The middle class from Lisbon could thus have their wine without having to mix with dirty poor people.

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Fernando Pessoa, a worldwide genius of poetry, was an odd character, known to not have many friends. In the middle of the afternoon, he would leave his office chair, where he often got bored with reality, and would say: “I shall meet with my friend Abel.”

His friend Abel was the glass in Val do Rio tavern, filled with some product made by Abel Pereira da Fonseca. Once photographed, Pessoa signed the picture saying “Caught Red-handed.”

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That year, 1937, Abel Pereira da Fonseca left the business – the brand was handed to others, unimportant business for the present story – and focused on Quinta das Cerejeiras in Bombarral municipality. There, he created a resistant iconic brand.

Quinta das Cerejeiras became a reference for quality, displayed on menus of the best restaurants. The taste and consumption pattern changed. The ten years of bottle-ageing were shortned. Yet, Quinta das Cerejeiras Reserva wines are a reference in the Lisbon region, and compulsory for those interested in national nectars.

Another renowned magnate was João Camillo Alves, a barber in the suburban village of Bucelas, who became a middleman between producers in the village and the Lisbon bourgeois who made Bucelas their summer spot. From selling there to selling in the capital, it was only a short step.

Caves Camillo Alves cellars are now part of the Enoport group, which encloses other big companies from olden days, such as Caves Velhas or Caves Dom Teodósio – Teodósio Barbosa, another wine magnate one-hundred years ago.

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This company obviously owns brands that last for generations. The most iconic is perhaps Romeira. It’s a red wine born in a region where only white grapes are allowed in wine with a protected designation of origin.

The foundation of Quinta da Romeira, in Bucelas, goes back to the 17^th century, and has since known different owners; it was resold again a year ago. The Romeira brand, belonging to Caves Velhas, was created in 1912. In the 70s, in the 20^th century, oenologist Manuel Vieira made a lot of grapes from the Península de Setúbal. It was later produced entirely in Palmela, and now it’s made in Alentejo.

When you talk about a wine from Bucelas, you must mention Bucellas, created by Caves Velhas in 1939. Is the customer always right, as the aphorism says? No! And unfortunately, business is business and companies aren’t made for losses. Bucelas wines lived for many long years – excellent. The Bucellas Garrafeira were the Bucelas. The last to be made was the 1998, and I drank it this year. Colossal!

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A very old wine is Serradayres (Enoport), first sold in 1896 by Conde de Castro Guimarães in Ribatejo – nowadays a region of the Tejo. By the way, the count’s residence is in Cascais. It’s a great museum to visit.

Still within the same company, the Lagosta (Enoport) is an old reference dating from 1902. A light and carefree wine, free from the weight of the history of other brands.

And there I was, thinking I could get the story out in just a few lines… stay tuned, I’ll be serving another round soon.

The time when there were (almost) zero brands of wine in Portugal

October 14, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

I’m old! It’s true! No matter how much I call a guy “dude”, the truth is I’m the same as my dad, who died when he was 90 years old, and referred to his friends as “young men my age”.

This statement of mine about being old isn’t even related to age, but to a country that is no longer. Not because it was a teenager, but because it was something else. In Portugal, people rarely wore branded clothes until 1986… Adidas trainers? We used to say: “They must be… Adidas from the chemists.” The anti-mainstream records came from Great Britain, either in the post or if a friend were visiting there. Pop stars were on the cover of Bravo, a magazine in German that hardly anybody could read. Who was Nena?! Two or three years later we learned who she was when her hit, Ninety Nine Red Balloons, finally made it here.

We would go to Spain to buy trainers, toffee, and Alicante nougat. Spain smelled like the horrible Ducados cigarettes, and the coffee was undrinkable. The Spanish used to visit Portugal for Easter to eat codfish, seafood in Alentejo – even if it had travelled over 90 miles from the Atlantic – and to buy towels and bedspreads.

In that 70s black-and-white Portugal, or in the following decade’s faint-coloured version, wine had no brand. In Lisbon, they had taverns with casks full of lees… wine from the “small town”, and “purinho do produtor” [pure and straight from the producer]… Brands? One or two; except for Vinho do Porto and Vinho da Madeira.

In 2014, there were 2067 wine growers and 4212 wine growers and producers. In Portugal, as in other EU countries, there was a lot of urbanisation, and the primary sector lost weight in the country’s Economy. Thirty years ago, there were many more wine producers, but much fewer growers and producers. Cooperatives had an important role in the industry.

I decided to write this text about two or three brands. However, I noticed that those “two or three” were, in fact, much more than that. And still… The number is, after all, irrelevant. The business and the consumption of wine have changed a lot in the last 30, or 25, and even in the last 20 years. I am happy with the resistant ones and with the “reborn” ones. I thought they wouldn’t outnumber my fingers… I realised I needed three other people’s fingers to count them all, or perhaps even more.

Alentejo was known for the wheat fields and for the forests of cork oak and holm oak. In Douro, they made Port – period. Douro and Bairrada were very important. However, Portugal has old brands, which in some cases may even compare to the most famous French wines.

The most obvious case is Periquita, produced in the Península de Setúbal region. The recipe has been changing, but it was basically made of Castelão grapes – such a big success that it spread all around, turning the brand into a synonym of the grape variety. It’s now a trademark after the legal battle won by the José Maria da Fonseca company.

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When I say Periquita, I’m talking about 1880, although it is known that a bottle from the previous decade has been traded, and rumour has it, an 1850 bottle too. In 1886, it earned an international award.

Lilliput! Thousands, millions of Portuguese people making their own wine. Just a few brands. Two companies stood out: João Camillo Alves and Abel Pereira da Fonseca, colossal at the time. The difference was such that an anecdote of questionable taste emerged: “In his deathbed, Mr. Fonseca might have said to his descendants that even from grapes you could make wine”.

It’s a (silly) joke, because Abel Pereira da Fonseca was an honourable man, and was once part of big business, for instance the José Maria da Fonseca company – which was extremely serious – only the founder had that surname. In any case, the anecdote reflects the truth.

I will leave that truth for another chronicle.

Contacts
Quinta da Bassaqueira – Estrada Nacional 10,
2925-542 Vila Nogueira de Azeitão, Setúbal, Portugal
Tel: (+351) 212 197 500
E-mail: info@jmf.pt
Website: www.jmf.pt

Quinta de Foz de Arouce Vinhas Velhas de Santa Maria 2005

October 7, 2015 1 comment in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

The weight of glass upsets me. I’m very likely the first writer to start a wine chronicle like this. Does it have anything to do with any thing? It does! Basically, with our carbon footprint and/or respect for nature. A few years ago, people knew that, to be successful, all you needed was to have big numbers on a label (and scribble a currency symbol) and to fill a bottle weighing 3.7 pounds in tare weight (fact).

Glass is a noble thing, but you don’t drink it. I had to write this because what I am introducing here is a worldwide issue. It’s a good wine (!), it’s in a good bottle, and it doesn’t weigh a ton. High-quality glass is essential for storing a nectar that promises to be worth the wait. It’s that simple, not a single gram more.

The other “half” of the “world” is the nature that wines by Quinta de Foz de Arouce convey. If some wines deserve to be reported for revealing terroir, this is one of them. In my opinion, those seven letters represent a poetic acronym for soil, subsoil, geophysical positioning, agriculture and/or nearby vegetation, grape variety, fauna, climate, agricultural and cellar knowledge, and… I’ll get to the last component. There is no wine without man, so man must also be part of this equation.

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Bad wines can be made out of ingredients used to make good wines, but you cannot possibly achieve the opposite. It’s also true that some land, where master-pieces originate, is magical; however, the painter might produce Da Vinci’s “Gioconda” instead of “The Birth of Venus” by Sandro Botticelli. That is where the last component comes in: the producer – he must demand his portrait, his image and lineage.

Quinta de Foz de Arouce is in a “non-place”! It’s not quite in Bairrada, nor in Dão, nor anywhere else. This property is unique, because if it weren’t so, there would be many wines of this dimension around there.

If it were in Burgundy, Foz de Arouce would be a Grand Cru, or a Monopole. I learnt in school that it belongs to Beira (Alta, Baixa and Litoral [North, South and Coastal]) – the “non-place” is about 14 miles away from Coimbra.

Did I overdo it when I said Grand Cru? I have no knowledge of a brother to this wine. It has a remarkable ability to age. We’re in 2015 and I opened the 2005. In perfectly good shape, elegant, long, deep, and complex. Is it worth it to compile descriptors? The whole wine comes and goes, in and out like in a dance, as it swirls in the glass. It has 14% alcohol, and nobody would say so until they check the back of the bottle.

The count’s residence has documents dating from the seventeenth century that refer to the wine’s quality. It would take some time to tell the story, but a lord of Foz de Arouce once played a practical joke on Filipe III of Portugal (Felipe IV of Spain) when he bet a few barrels of his already popular nectar.

Quinta de Foz de Arouce, Vinhas Velhas de Santa Maria 2005 is a monument, and it’s made of an unpopular variety. Today, people are beginning to sing praises to the Baga variety. Whether it comes from Dão or Bairrada, it’s definitely not a whippersnapper. Its claws, however, are out and ready for action.

Blend-All-About-Wine-Quinta de Foz de Arouce-Vinhas Velhas-JPR Sta Maria 2005

Blend-All-About-Wine-Quinta de Foz de Arouce-Vinhas Velhas-JPR-João Perry

In human terms, João Portugal Ramos – son-in-law to the current count of Foz de Arouce – is known as one of the best Portuguese oenologists. He has João Perry Vidal to help him in that Coimbra farm. Vidal is on first name terms with the vineyards, and knows the names of all the bees and ladybirds.

At first, there were only Baga vineyards. A few years ago, a few shoots of Touriga Nacional were cultivated that created a differentiation between the “normal” Foz de Arouce and the “Vinhas Velhas”. A white wine was also born from the Cerceal variety.

They are all good, but there is, of course, “the one”.

Contacts
Quinta de Foz de Arouce
3200-030 Foz de Arouce
Lousã, Portugal
Tel: (+351) 268 339 910
Fax: (+351) 268 339 918 / 268 339 916
E-mail: condefozarouce@jportugalramos.pt
Website: www.fozdearouce.com

Three fresh Fiuza wines, one in each colour

September 30, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

I am a traditionalist, but not an old-fashioned member of the Taliban. I believe some changes are good, and many work out well – even though they displease me, they make me swallow my ego. This tradition business has a flaw: it was invented one day, and for a long time, it wasn’t that inheritance.

My great friend Sérgio Carneiro once came out with a wise and disarming thought: “Traditions are meant to be broken.” To that, I add: some duties are meant to be breached – which is a whole “nother” topic.

For several reasons that I will not list here, so that I don’t lose my way, switching the designations of Estremadura and Ribatejo for Lisbon and Tejo is a smart change. I will focus on Ribatejo, a region that has been despised due to the low quality of many of its wines.

The name of the biggest river in the Iberian Peninsula makes it easier for foreigners to read and washes the old term away. For about two decades, high-quality wine producers (or at least well-known producers) have been around this region, but the number has definitely been growing. To say and to write about Tejo will bring justice to those wine growers.

An old company – the subject of this text – is Fiuza & Bright, who own five properties in the region. Twenty-five references are grouped into seven families: Oceanus (white, rosé and red), Campo dos Frades (white, rosé and red); Native (white, rosé and red); Três Castas (white, rosé and red); Monocastas [or single-variety] (and bi-varietal – Alvarinho, Chardonnay, Chardonnay and Arinto, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Merlot and Touriga Nacional, Touriga Nacional, and Rosé made from Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Nacional); Premium (white and red); and Ikon (white and red).

I haven’t had Ikon many times, but I got a good impression of the top Fiuza & Bright Ikon wines. I am a regular consumer of Fiuza in restaurants, because this brand assures quality and offers variety as well as “friendly” prices, an important factor because restaurant businessmen do tend to charge a lot. This option also extends to other wines of the region, such as Quinta da Lagoalva de Cima, which will soon feature in an article.

Those who know me, even if only in written, know that I refuse to recommend wines with a good price/quality ratio – it depends on the pocket, on the importance, the oenophile’s knowledge and on the moment – however, I will take my chances in this case. However, because I know that a psychological barrier is usually set at five euro, I must mention that the retail price for these wines is above that barrier.

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Three wines were tasted: Fiuza Sauvignon Blanc 2014, Fiuza Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Nacional Rosé 2014, and Fiuza Touriga Nacional 2013. Three “modern” wines – comparing to the traditional and easily pleasing profiles – with well-expressed varieties, and highly enjoyable.

The Fiuza Sauvignon Blanc 2014 has the virtue of passion fruit, grapefruit and some not-so-ripe Rocha pear. It’s refreshing and has a little finish time with note. Unfortunately, and I once again reveal my picky taste, I do not like tropical wines, especially passion fruit wine. It’s a personal thing, not the wine’s problem; on the contrary, it reveals the grape variety.

Fiuza Touriga Nacional 2013 reveals how flexible the variety is: from Dão violets to Douro cherries, blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and respective jams and jellies, to Alentejo strawberries, wild-fruit salad and respective jams and jellies, to the “darkness” of almost-dried plums, a touch of figs, wild-fruit “salad” in this wine, which was smoothed out in American and French oak casks during a six-month ageing period, conveying a hint of nutmeg, vanilla and a faint speck of caramel (hold in the glass).

The favourite and “funny” Fiuza Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Nacional Rosé 2014: two excellent varieties that do not fight but dance together. Refreshing, with crunchy greens, evoking pepper from the French variety, violets – what you get for picking specific grapes for rosés and still benefiting from low alcohol levels – blackberries and strawberries.

Contacts
Fiuza & Bright, Lda.
Travessa do Vareta, nº11
2080 – 184 ALMEIRIM
Portugal
Tel: (+351) 243 597 491
Fax: (+351) 243 579 247
E-mail: info@fiuzabright.pt
Website: www.fiuzabright.pt

Cavalo Maluco and the other Herdade do Portocarro "indians"

September 23, 2015 no comments in Uncategorized by João Barbosa

Text João Barbosa | Translation Jani Dunne

I’m starting this text the same way I began the last one. Writing about one of my three favourite Portuguese wines is difficult given the necessary care for your common sense, pleasure, memories and the product’s intrinsic quality.

I appreciate certainty; even the certainty that comes with uncertainty. I like a Coca-Cola to be a Coca-Cola – always the same. I like the certainty within the uncertainty of great wines: every harvest is different, because the weather is never the same from year to year. But sharing a profile and quality turns them into princes. The years represent the body and the profile represents the surname.

Herdade do Portocarro is in west Alentejo – a place, which is registered as being somewhere else according to bureaucracy. It would be odd not to consider wines from Alcácer do Sal, Grândola, Santiago do Cacém and Sines as wines of Alentejo. This property is in Alcácer municipality, an area that is well known for its rice fields and pine forests.

If all the wines in Herdade do Portocarro deserve to be paid compliments, especially two of them: Anima and Cavalo Maluco; the former, because it is “a mess” caused by José Mota Capitão, its producer. The latter because… it’s the one, that is, one of my three favourite Portuguese red wines.

In that property in the Peninsula de Setúbal – although it’s not located there –, they make five reds, one white and one rosé. I will not comment on them, because I didn’t taste the Alfaiate Branco 2013 (Esgana-Cão, Galego-Dourado, Arinto and Antão Vaz) nor Autocarro Nº 27 2013 (Aragonês [Tempranillo], Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon).

The wines by Herdade do Portocarro are surprising. I am not sure I understand them. They have never turned out as I had predicted. I do not recognise any similarities with others of the same area. Could it be the famous terroir, a wary character that comes out of nowhere and quickly disappears, although so many people claim they have experienced it?

Herdade do Portocarro 2011 has minerality and freshness in the mouth. It was made with the Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon varieties. Full-bodied, but not a brut. It’s a city-farmer.

I shared my surprise at the presence of the Touriga Franca variety with José Mota Capitão; I frown at the possibility that the queen of the Douro varieties would have made such a long trip through the country. Out of the non-Douro wines, only Herdade do Portocarro Partage Touriga Franca 2008 grants me the same pleasure as those of its region of origin. I can confirm that this variety needs friends; it does not make my heart beat faster on its own. The experience, at least, is worth it.

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José Mota Capitão stepped into the limelight with the first wine in Portugal to be made using the Sangiovese variety – in fact, if I am not mistaken, he may have been the first to plant it. Year after year, the Italian variety reveals its sensuality, but not its fragility. An Italian accent, but not the citizenship. It’s from this place, from São Romão do Sado, a burough in Torrão, municipality of Alcácer do Sal (Setúbal district, “Setúbal Peninsula”), West Alentejo. I bet – but I don’t know for sure, because I haven’t asked – it’s the variety that this wine producer feels most fond of.

Anima wines confirm the beginning of uncertainty. They always turn out well; they have the same traits as their brothers and the same surname. They are not clones, nor twins. To comment on a specific year is only useful if one comments on all of the other years. I advise those who can afford it… to buy, savour and conclude.

Tears of Anima 2014 is a Sangiovese rosé. Its main advantage is using the variety that others do not, which results in a bouquet closer to that of a white wine – and the fresh kind: citrus fruits, lychees, and early-picked plums. It has the character that “all” rosés should have: low alcohol levels. In Portugal, food-friendly Portuguese wines are highly valued… is it an advantage? Drink this one for the pleasure of chatting and relaxing after the beach turned you red, because you forgot to apply SPF 20,000 sunscreen!

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Now it’s time for my love: Cavalo Maluco (Crazy Horse). What an odd name! There is a reason for that. As a boy, José Mota Capitão played – as you do in many generations – Cowboys and Indians. Children tend to like winners… the boy who now makes wine wanted to be an Indian… perhaps one day he will produce a Sitting Bull!

Cavalo Maluco 2011 may well be the “craziest” of them all. It was a grand year, and chief Lakota galloped. It was born from the Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Petit Verdot varieties.

Is it better than its predecessor?! And how about the one before that?! To be honest, I don’t know. I think so. The same advice goes to whoever can afford it: buy it, savour it and conclude.

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