Tuesday, 29 November 2011
Saturday, 19 November 2011
Wednesday, 16 November 2011
Thursday, 10 November 2011
Wine Routes of Portugal
Wine Routes of Portugal (2):
Explanation of Port Wine Tasting & Tours
In Vila Nova de Gaia, a suburb of Porto, the port lodges and their distinctive names high up on the terracotta roofs give Porto city its atmospheric character. The lodges are where the barrels of port were brought from all over the Douro region on the barcos rabelos - the traditional boats moored at the riverside - and stored ready for shipping across the world. Some of the port wine lodges are over 300 years old. Today nearly every company offer a tour of their cellars while imparting information on the production of port, the different types, vintages and history of port and the companies that sell it. What better way to gain an explanation of port wine!
Apparently port came about when somewhat inferior wine had brandy added to it to make it more palatable. These days it's a much more serious business. The grapes for making port are grown in a demarcated area 40,000 hectares in size along both banks of the River Douro and its tributaries. Grapes are harvested in September to October and then crushed. The juice ferments for a few days and is then stopped with the addition of aguardente - a Portuguese brandy-type spirit - at a time that later dictates the wine's sweetness. The wine then stands in casks in a cellar of the estate until the following March. It is then shipped downstream to the shippers' lodges at Gaia where it matures. The Portuguese often chill their port (probably something to do with the warm climate) and good accompaniments are some of the lovely Portuguese cheeses or chocolate for a very decadent experience.
Tours run on weekdays and Saturdays, but not Sundays. These are all pretty well organised some to military style precision! It can often be cheaper to buy the top quality ports from here, but some of the cheaper ones can be found cheaper in town.
One more place you may want to visit to find out about the history of port wine trade and its impact on the city is the Port Wine Museum (Museu do Vinho do Porto). It's free entry and is found in a former warehouse on Rua de Monchique west of Porto's Ribeira district. Rua de Monchique 45-52, tel: 351 22 2076300. Email: museuvinhoporto@cm-porto.pt. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays 10am-12.30pm and 2-5.30pm, Sundays 2-5.30pm. Closed on Mondays and holidays.
The Port Wine Route - Rota do Vinho do Porto
The Port Wine Route has been identified through the Douro region as a tourist trail that takes you through the Douro countryside where you can stop off points at quintas to find out about the various stages in the production of port wine. Needless to say there are many quintas offering wine tasting tours along the route.
The Port Wine Route Members' Association produce a helpful website that can help you plan a journey with maps indicating where the quintas are throughout the Douro region, they can even help you organise tours.
Wine Tasting Emporiums
The Port and Douro Wines Institute run three Solar do Vinho do Porto in Lisbon, Porto and Peso da Regua. These are like bars where a selection of wines are available for tasting alongside information, exhibitions and artistic events about port and the Douro area.
Solar do Vinho do Porto on Rua de Entre-Quintas near the Crystal Palace in Porto is a good stopping off point where you can taste a selection of port wines with views out over the River Douro. This, like the ones in Regua and Lisbon, are run by the Port and Douro Wines Institute and offer tutored tastings and a selection of books and information on Douro port wine. Open: Mon-Thurs: 2pm to 8pm; Friday and Saturday: 2pm to 12pm. Closed Sundays and holidays.
A good stopping off point in Peso da Regua is the Solar do Vinho do Porto housed in a converted warehouse on Rua da Ferreirinha. Open Mon-Sat 11am-7pm. Tel: 351 254 320 960. Next door at the Casa do Douro, the headquarters of the port growers organisation, is a series of stained-glass windows illustrating the history and production of Port wine.
The Lisbon Solar do Vinho do Porto is on Rua de Sao Pedro de Alcantara, 45, 1250-237 Lisboa - Portugal. Tel: 351 213475707/8. Fax: 351 213478392. Email: solarlisboa@ivp.pt. Open Tues-Sat 11 am-midnight. Closed Sundays and holidays.
Wine Routes of Portugal
Wine Routes of Portugal: "Portugal Tourism Guide - Portugal Wine Tours
All over Portugal wine has been an important part of agricultural history since at least Roman Times. Increasingly Portuguese wines are becoming more widely renowned and there are several denominated areas such as the Bairrada wine region.
Of course no visit to Portugal would be complete without finding out about the port it produces. The city of Porto and the Douro region are steeped in the history of port wine production so while you're tasting the produce you can gaze out over some of the country's most spectacular scenery."
'via Blog this'
All over Portugal wine has been an important part of agricultural history since at least Roman Times. Increasingly Portuguese wines are becoming more widely renowned and there are several denominated areas such as the Bairrada wine region.
Of course no visit to Portugal would be complete without finding out about the port it produces. The city of Porto and the Douro region are steeped in the history of port wine production so while you're tasting the produce you can gaze out over some of the country's most spectacular scenery."
'via Blog this'
Tuesday, 8 November 2011
provas - Revista de Vinhos
Wine tasting
Producer: Macário de Castro
Red , Douro 2008
€ 12.50 - 17.0/20 points
Full of color, almost purple, reveals a complex aroma of blackberry, bush and spices . Still very young, full-bodied, with powerful tannins tamed by the barrel, long finish, custom and seductive.(14%)
Monday, 7 November 2011
Churchill's opens new Visitor Center
The wines of Porto and the Douro have a "new home" in Vila Nova de Gaia. The Visitor Center recently opened Churchill's aims to raise awareness of the wines of the Douro region.
Located in Churchill's headquarters in Vila Nova de Gaia, the newVisitor Center has an area of 350 square meters, with an investment of around 400 000 euros. With a time of visits between 10h00 and 19h00, the Churchill's Visitor Center offers several options of wine tasting to everyone who visits that space.Churchill's Visitor Center's main objective is to open the doors in a single area to the general public and thus create a close relationship with the community.
Daily vertical wine tasting tests will be offered, carried out by appointment, for a minimum of five people. These technical wine tasting experiences will be accompanied by a professional team of Churchill's, and will give visitors the opportunity to "enter" the world of Port wine and learn to evaluate their different styles.
This tourist programme highlights the fact that it provide visitors the possibility to choose a custom wine tasting event, taking into account new technologies and using a set of iPads prepared specifically for this application.
Gastronomy at Churchill's Visitor Center will also have a privileged area by conducting cooking classes and a cooking show, with the aim of making known the possibility of monitoring the wines with food. Churchill's will invite some chefs to participate in this project in order to provide all visitors the opportunity to see the best of our cuisine. Chef Vitor Sobral will be the first to initiate these events.
Churchill's Visitor Center can also organize dinners for groups of up to 40 people and the space can also be used for meetings,seminars, workshops, trainings and presentations.
Sunday, 6 November 2011
Portuguese Wine Routes 1
Portugal from North to South has an extensive range of wines, from green wine, with an appetizing freshness, to port wine, the most generous in the world.Unparalleled in any other country, Portugal adopted the classification of green and ripe wines.The importance of the first in the north of the country and its characteristics led to this classification. With the entry of Portugal into the EEC, this classification has had to be adapted to that organization. As such, the following official designations had to be considered:
- Origin:Concept applicable to the designation of certain wines whose originality and individuality are inseparably linked to a particular region, as follows:
- Origin:Concept applicable to the designation of certain wines whose originality and individuality are inseparably linked to a particular region, as follows:
- wines originated and produced in this region
- wines whose quality or characteristics are essentially or exclusively due to the geographical environment including natural and human factors.To qualify for a designation of origin, the whole process of wine making is subject to strict control in all its stages, from the vineyard to the consumer.
- VQPRD: "Quality Wine Produced in Determined Region"High quality wines, with a limited number, obtained from varieties listed in the approved list, derived exclusively from grapes produced in a specified region.They have to obey the rules and characteristics relating to colour, clarity, aroma and flavour.
This designation includes all wines classified as DOC (Denomination of Controled Origin ) and IPR (Indication of Regulated Provenance).
There is also specific designation for liqueur wines and sparkling wines:
VLQPRD - Quality Liqueur Wine Produced in Determined Region
VEQPRD - Quality Sparkling Wine Produced in Determined Region
- DOC: "Controlled Denomination of Origin"
Wines whose production is traditionally linked to a region geographically delimited and subject to a set of rules with legislation.
- IPR: "Indication of Regulated Provenance"
Term used for wines that, while enjoying special characteristics have to meet for a minimum period of 5 years, all the rules established for the production of high quality wines in order to achieve the classification of DOC.
- Regional Wines: these are table wines with geographical indication, or even wines produced in a specific region of production.
- Table Wines: The wines destined for consumption that do not fit the above designations are considered table wines.
Although the oldest RD "Delimited Region" is Portuguese (Port Wine Region - 1756), Portugal only generalized the demarcation of other regions producing quality wines for a relatively short time.
Each region has a Wine Commission, which is responsible for the allocation of categories of VQPRD, Regional Wine and Wine Grape Variety.
Next we will see the various wine producing regions and their characteristics.
The constant evolution of the wine business makes new products appear constantly.
In our description, the absence of some of them is not due to any selective criteria, but the ignorance of its existence.
Source: Institute of Vine and Wine
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