Two days with João Nicolau de Almeida

It is no secret that I always have been very fond of the Portuguese producer of Port and Douro wine, Ramos Pinto. I love the fascinating story of how they – since the days of the founder Adriano Ramos Pinto – have combined art and culture with winemaking. Just look at all the beautiful posters or the tiles (azulejos) in their interesting museum in Vila Nova de Gaia.

Recently the General Manager of Ramos Pinto, João Nicolau de Almeida, spent a couple of days in Denmark. First he gave a tasting of wine and port at Henrik Oldenburgs Port Festival at Börsen in Copenhagen, and the day after he was invited as guest at a tasting in The Vintage Port Club in Odense – a special tasting of Vintage 1983, both single grape variations and the final blend. Two days of learning from all the experience and knowledge that João Nicolau de Almeida has gained during his nearly 40 years at Ramos Pinto.

At the first day João paid attention to Duas Quintas the still wine brand that celebrates its 25 years anniversary this year. The two quintas are Quinta dos Bons Ares and Quinta de Ervamoira both in Douro Superior, but the first in higher altitude with cooler climate than the hot Ervamoira. The soil is different as well, the former with a lot of granite and the latter with mostly schist. These differences are the reason why grapes from the two quintas complement each other and make a great blend of freshness and maturity.   

João told us as well about the research he did in the grape varieties in the Douro late in the seventies and beginning of the eighties. When he came back from his studies in Bordeaux, he was challenged by his uncle, José António Rosas, who wanted to replant Quinta de Ervamoira, which he bought shortly after the revolution in 1974. Together they planted different grape varieties and studied them, and João insisted that they researched in both grapes for port production and for table wine. No wonder, because besides being educated in Bordeaux he is the son of Fernando Nicolau de Almeida – the pioneer when it comes to making still wine of quality in the Douro with the legendary Barca Velha.

The result of the studies in rootstocks, varieties, vineyards and vinification was that five varieties were recommended: Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinta Cão. During the years with research Ramos Pinto made different examples of single grape variety port from the Vintage in 1983, and that was precisely what was on the menu for the tasting the next day in The Vintage Port Club, combined with older and younger vintages. Here João kindly told us about the different varieties and their contribution to the final blend, and about how the research made it possible for the winemakers to make the right blend vintage after vintage.

During the two days the following wines were tasted.

Duas Quintas White Reserva 2014

Blend of Rabigato, Viosinho, Arinto and Folgazão. Very bright, green yellow. Green apples and citrus in the nose combined with more tropical notes. Full bodied with a nice structure and a good combination of fruitiness and minerals. Harmonious and with a good aftertaste.

Duas Quintas Red 2013

Blend of 43 % Touriga Nacional, 37 % Touriga Franca and 20 % other Douro varieties. Dark red and ruby. Blackberry and other dark berries, spicy. Powerful and deep with a lot of clean fruit and good tannins. A fine spicy finish.

Duas Quintas Red Reserva 2011

Blend of 50 % Touriga Nacional, 40 % Touriga Franca and 10 % Tinta Barca. Same character, but with more maturity, elegance and complexity. Dark berries and plums. Soft and velvet in the mouth, but powerful and with great tannins. Notes from the 18 months in cask, but well balanced. A great wine from a great vintage.

LBV 2011

Dark ruby. Fresh fruit, blackcurrant and spices. Still young and powerful as the vintage in general, but drinkable anyway. The LBVs from Ramos Pinto are among my favourites.

10 Years Tawny

Dark red, brown. Still with some fruit in the nose, but with notes from the cask as well like dried fruits and almonds. Nice, fresh and with a good balance. 

20 Years Tawny

Dark brown. Very intense in the nose and mouth with figs, raisins and almonds. Creamy and full bodied with a long, nice aftertaste. Very well balanced.

Vintage 1983

A scary nose, but not directly corked, and it seemed to fade slowly. Strawberry and other red berries in the nose. Still with both fruit and acidity, but odd and not in harmony. Did not perform well this day compared with the following day. Perhaps the bottles should have been opened and decanted earlier.

Tinta Barroca 1983

Dark ruby, clear. A little sharpness in the nose. Still with fruit and berries. Full bodied and soft, a little sweat, but also with spices and pepper. Soft tannins.

Tinta Roriz 1983

Bright, red brown. Not clear. A fine nose with red delicate berries. Tasting ok, but light and lacking acidity and tannins.  

Tinta Franca 1983

Ruby with brown rim. Discrete in the nose, but some dark berries and floral notes. More acidity and still powerful, but not in harmony.

Touriga Nacional 1983

Dark ruby, with a bit of purple. Dark berries like blackcurrant. A lot of fruit and with good depth and a fine structure. Intense and nicely spiced.

Ramos Pinto Vintage 1983

Blend of 50 % Tinta Barroca, 30 % Tinta Franca, 10 % Touriga Nacional and 10 % Tinta Roriz. Dark ruby. A beautiful nose with strawberry, cherry and darker berries too. Nice balanced with acidity, fruit and integrated tannins. A good tail. A wonderful, mature port to be drunk now, but can last as well.

Quinta da Ervamoira Vintage 2002

Blend of 40 % Touriga Nacional, 30 % Tinta Franca and 30 % Tinta Barroca. Dark ruby with purple rim. Very closed in the nose and when it comes to taste too. Fruity with some blackcurrant. Powerful, but with soft tannins. Short. Needs time.

Ramos Pinto Vintage 2000

Blend of 50 % Touriga Nacional, 40 % Tinta Franca and 10 % Tinta da Barca. Dark ruby. Some fruit gum in the nose at the beginning, but it slowly disappeared after some time. Closed, but with red berries, a lot of acidity and tannins. Not ready at all.

Ramos Pinto Vintage 1994

Blend of 40 % Tinta Franca, 30 % Touriga Nacional and 30 % Tinta Barroca. Ruby and clear. A nice bouquet, but perhaps a bit scented. Red berries and floral notes. Still a bit closed with lots of fruit and tannins. Will develop further.

Quinta da Ervamoira Vintage 1994

Blend of 60 % Touriga Nacional and 40 % Tinta Barroca. Ruby. Nice and elegant with berries and floral notes and soft tannins. Drinkable right now, but can still last.

Ramos Pinto Vintage 1982

Blend of 70 % Tinta Barroca and 30 % grapes from vinhas velhas. Dark ruby. An unpleasant smell of rot and acetone, but some fruits and plums too. Faulty.

Ramos Pinto Vintage 1970

Tawny and bright. A bit disappointing in the colour, but with a pleasant nose and an excellent taste. Cherry and other red berries. Soft, silky and elegant with a good combination of fruit and sweet spices. A great mature port.

Ramos Pinto Vintage 1950

Brown and not clear. Dried fruits and caramel in the nose. Oxidated like a tawny. Not in harmony. Variation between the two bottles, and the other one was better.

Cask 33 – a very special cask

These years the Port companies are releasing old and exclusive Tawny Ports. The tendency started in 2010 with Taylor’s Scion from 1855 and last year Graham’s followed with the family heritage, Ne Oublie, bottled from a cask from 1882 which Andrew James Symington bought in 1924 to celebrate the year that he arrived to Portugal.    

Earlier this year Sandeman bottled a very special cask of old Tawny too. Cask 33 is the name of the Port which can be seen as a sort of tribute to several generations of winemakers and blenders. The year of the release was not accidental. Here in 2015 Sandeman is celebrating its 225^th year’s anniversary. The company was founded in 1790, when the 25 years old Scotsman, George Sandeman started to buy and sell Port and Sherry, and since the middle of the 19^th century the company has stored casks with Port in their beautiful cellar in Vila Nova de Gaia. The family is still involved in the company, but today it is owned by Sogrape, who is behind Ferreira and Offley too not to mention several brands of still wine from all over Portugal.

Sandeman is known for producing both Vintage Port and tawnies. The last decade the quality of the former has risen again, but when it comes to the latter they have always had a good reputation. Therefore expectations were high, when Cask 33 was released. The cask is picked among other old casks that were put aside in the cellar in the 1960s and afterwards adjusted when needed by the winemakers of Sandeman. Normally they are used for blending tawnies adding some age and quality to the younger basic blends. But present winemaker Luís Sottomayor found the quality of Cask 33 extraordinary and decide to put it aside. The cask is a blend of 30 and 40 years old Port and older wine with more complexity with 60 or 70 years of age.

“This particular cask, from a lot of 40, hasn’t been touched for the last two years. Back in January, when our head winemaker Luís Sottomayor tasted it again, knowing that we were on the lookout for something special to celebrate our 225th anniversary, he found that cask nr. 33 showed such a promising evolution and great character that we singled it out for this limited edition”, explains George Sandeman.

The 635 litres from the cask were bottled in 685 hand blown bottles inspired by the original bottle, which was used in 1790. The seal bears the initials “G.S.” for George Sandeman and all of them are signed by winemaker Luís Sottomayor.

“For the first time in company’s history we are launching the bottling of a single cask, as Sandeman Cask 33, due to its superb qualities that epitomize the pinnacle of our style of Tawny Portos”, says Luís Sottomayor.

Besides the 685 bottles Sandeman produced some small examples for journalists and wine writers. I was kindly given one by George Sandeman. Here are my tasting notes:

Bright, clear, golden and amber. Intense with almonds, orange, walnut, spices and cigar box notes in the noise. Silky in the mouth, elegant but with a great body and notes of almonds, orange, pepper, honey and Muscat. Perhaps not as deep and intense as expected, but tempting and with complexity. A bit sweet but nice balanced with a fine, long aftertaste.

The taste of memories

Some months ago I was invited to the Danish release of Ne Oublie – the old heirloom Port from Symington Family Estates and Graham’s. My article about the Port is now published in the Danish magazine Vinbladet. Here I will just share some thoughts and off course my tasting notes.

Two things came to my mind during the presentation, which took place in Tivoli in Copenhagen.  First of all it was matter of storytelling more than just a tasting of a very good old Port from 1882. Secondly especially the short film, that has been produced to promote Ne Oublie, gave me an impression of what the Portuguese call saudade. The word can’t be translated with just one word, but it is connected to emotions like sadness, longing, nostalgia and melancholy – emotions that you will find in Fado music as well. In the film the Symington’s are talking quietly about the Port, its history and their family through generations, and the pictures and sound includes beautiful details like dripping water, ringing bells and chirping birds, The sun above the vineyards, the floating river and old gates. It is a tale about a time and a place long away from the modern world, a tale of memories and heritage.           

Off course the release of the Port itself is neither sad nor nostalgic. The Symington’s decided to share one barrel out of three remaining with Port lovers who are invited like me or can effort to buy a bottle. But when you taste and drink the Port, you are not just drinking a special and very good wood-aged Port. Due to the whole storytelling you feel that you are sharing the family’s history and sipping down a tiny bit of their heritage.   

The story of Ne Oublie is, that Andrew James Symington - the first from the family to settle in Portugal – in 1924 decided to buy four barrels of Port from 1882 – the year he arrived and started to work for Graham’s. The barrels has been stored in Gaia ever since, but one has been used to tip the other three up and off course for tasting now and then. The present generation decided to bottle one barrel and release 656 very exclusive bottles of Ne Oublie including a handmade crystal decanter from Portugal, engraved silver rings from Scotland and a special designed and handmade leather box from Bond Street. 

“It is a family jewel, so the whole presentation had to be special too. At first we considered to release it as a Symington Port, but then we chose Graham’s. That is where the story starts and now it is full circle”, Dominic Symington said during the tasting.     

Dominic told me, that the decision to bottle one cask was made, because other companies are releasing some very old wood-aged Port as well. The cask was not official documented by IVDP, which is the reason why it is not called a Colheita from 1882.

But who needs documents when the story is good and the wine excellent. It is very dark brown, balsamic, with an orange rim. Very expressive in the nose with dried fruit, almonds, prunes and again balsamic notes. In the mouth it was fat and full-bodied, soft and creamy, very concentrated on the palate with notes of orange, figs, honey and almonds. All in all it is a very complex and surprisingly fresh Port with an impressive acidity to balance the sweetness. And it ends of couse with a very long and intense tail. A wine to remember.  

You can read more and see the film here

Winemakers Dinner with Sandeman

In February Mr. George Sandeman was our guest at the annual Winemakers Dinner in The Vintage Port Club. At first we had a tasting of Sandeman Vintage, Vau Vintage and Tawny with indication of age, and afterwards a delicious dinner served with wines from Sogrape and more Port from Sandeman at restaurant Kok & Vin (Chef & Wine) in Odense.   

Sandeman was founded in 1790 by the Scotsman George Sandeman, who established himself as a wine merchant in London and started to import Port. In 1811 the company moved into the beautiful arcaded building in Vila Nova de Gaia, where Port lover and tourists are visiting the house every day. In 1928 the artist George Massiot Brown created the famous Sandeman Don who soon became an icon. The Don wears the cape of the Portuguese students and a Spanish Caballero hat and thereby unites the two fortified wines of the company: Port and Sherry. Sandeman used to produce more Sherry than Port, but today it is the other way around, George Sandeman told us during the tasting.

George is the 7^th generation of the family. In 1980 the Sandeman was sold to Seagram, and from 2001 it has been part of the Sogrape Group, who own Ferreira and Offley as well. Besides that Sogrape is producing still wine all around Portugal including the well known brand Mateus.

George Sandeman admitted that during the 80´s the focus was more on volume and less on quality – a fact that probably has given the brand a reputation in Denmark of being a more commercial brand. But – as the tasting proved – the quality used to be very high. And perhaps more important the quality of the Vintage Port is high again like it always has been when it comes to Tawny with indication of age. Since 1994 George Sandeman and winemaker Luis de Sottomayor have done a great job and raised the brands reputation. I have tasted the Vintage 2011 several times, and I am impressed of the concentration of fruit and flavours. It sure will last for many years.

Vintage 2011 was not included in this tasting, but so was a long list of fine bottles, served in the order they are mentioned below.

Sandeman Vintage 2000: Dark ruby with great fruit, mature cherries and a bit cigar box. A nice taste with balanced fruit and acidity and a fine tail with pepper. Soft tannins and very drinkable right now, but will still develop.

Sandeman Vintage 1994: Performed better here than at the 1994 tasting last year. Red with brownish edge. A little milky in the nose at first, but with cherries and red berries. Fine mature and in good balance. Not that complex.

Sandeman Vintage 1982: One of the bottles were corked, the other one ok. Light red and muddy. Some red berries, but a bit anonymous and lacking power and fruit.

Sandeman Vintage 1977: Red with mahogany edge. A bit muddy and with some chemical notes in the nose. On the palate it had more complexity but not a deep wine. Mature and in fine balance.

Sandeman Vintage 1975: Light in the colour as a tawny, but with a nice nose of red berries. Fine on the palate, but light and a bit one dimensional. A nice tail with pepper. A good Port for breakfast, as George said himself.

Sandeman Vintage 1970: Red with a light edge. More fruit and more body. A nice nose with dark berries and cigar box. A very fine mature Port.  

Sandeman Vintage 1966: A bit limpid, but with a nice red colour. Very intense and deep. Fruit and red berries in the nose and again some cigar box notes. A great structure and still with a lot of fruit, some spices and a fine balance. A great and delicious mature wine.

Sandeman Vintage 1934: Brown and with a Tawny nose as well. At first not that intense in the nose, but very concentrated and intense on the palate. Some fruit but more Tawny and chocolate notes.

Vau Vintage 1988: The first Singe Quinta Vintage from Vau. Later it changed into a brand for those who want to drink their Vintage young. Dark Ruby. A bit milky in the nose and still with powerful tannins and a lot of fruit for developing.

Vau Vintage 1997: Dark ruby, almost opaque and with expressive dark berries in the nose. Straight forward with soft tannins.

Vau Vintage 1999: Dark ruby. A bit more anonymous in the nose, but started to open up. Not as much fruit as the 97, but again soft integrated tannins and a fine structure.

Sandeman Vintage 2003: Dark ruby, close to being opaque. Very intense in the nose with blackcurrant and other dark berries. Juicy and with a good body and tannins for a long life.

Sandeman Vintage 2007: Dark ruby and purple. Fruit juice and fresh berries in the nose, but spices too. Very young and with fruit, acidity and tannins for a long, promising life.

Sandeman 10 years Tawny: red-brown with both fruit and nuts and notes from the cask. A fine and elegant wine, but not that complex.

Sandeman 30 years Tawny: Brown, yellow. A nose with orange, vanilla and honey. Intense and creamy in the mouth with a nice balance. Orange, hazelnuts and dried fruits on the palate. A great glas.

After the tasting chef Steffen Falkesgaard and his team served a very delicious menu with five courses, wines from the Sogrape Group and two Sandeman Ports more:

• Brandade of gently smoked cod with fennel pickle with Morgadio da Torre 2013, Vinho Verde
• Poached fillet of cod with beurrenoisette, celeriac and fine herbs with Quinta da Carvalhais “Encruzado” 2012, Dão
• Braised neck of beef with jus, mushrooms, tomatoes and pork crackling with Quinta da Carvalhais “Touriga Nacional” 2011, Dão and Quinta da Leda 2010, Douro
• BrillatSavarin, aged Comté and Stilton with trimmings to match and malt bread with Sandeman Vintage 2000
• Dark chocolate gateau with prune ice cream and local apples with Sandeman 20 years Tawny
• Coffee or Tea with home made sweets to follow

During the dinner I did not take notes, but shortly I will mention the Vinho Verde as very good, fresh and fruity as an Alvarinho should be. The white ”Encruzado” had more body and notes from the cask, and the two reds were great examples of the high quality in Dão and Douro.

All together it was a fine tasting with some great ports among and a fine dinner in good company. 

Cristiano van Zeller at Børsen

Cristiano van Zeller is a big guy himself – and so are his wines. He is one of the famous Douro Boys – the five producers from Douro (Quinta do Crasto, Niepoort, Quinta do Vallado, Quinta Vale Meão and Zellers own Quinta Vale de Maria) – who joined forces to inspire each other and brand their still wines from the Douro. They all produce Port as well, but for the Douro Boys the fortified wines are second to still wines from Douro DOC or the broader Duriense VR.

Some weeks ago Cristiano van Zeller visited Denmark for at tasting of his wines at the Port festival at Børsen in Copenhagen. The tasting for press and members of Port Clubs included 24 different wines – 15 of them still wines, the rest Port. But first Cristiano told us about himself and his view of the changes in the Douro.
The Van Zeller family arrived to Portugal in the 18th century and started as port shippers in 1780. The family was connected to the famous Quinta do Noval, but both Noval and the company; Van Zeller & Co. was sold in 1993. Later the brothers Fernando and Álvaro van Zeller founded Barão de Vilar and their cousin Cristiano started to work with the Roquettes from Quinta do Crasto and other of the member of the Douro Boys. In 1996 he took over Quinta Vale de Maria, which has been in the hands of his wife’s family, and after a renovation the production of both still wine and Port started. In 2006 the family bought back the old trading company as well.
The Quinta still uses lagares for the best grapes, and Cristiano told; that they soon will build some new ones instead of steel tanks. It is sort of back to basis, but with the important difference, that the modern granite lagares has temperature control as well. Another new-old trend is planting different grape varieties in the same field. These mixed fields with many varieties dominated the Douro before, but later most producers planted the five big varieties (Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Cão and Tinta Barroca) in different fields. Recently producers are going back to mixed fields, and not only with the big five, but with different varieties as well. The result is better, is the saying, and it seems like the different varieties are communicating concerning time of maturity etc. Off course the terroir of the different fields is important, and that is why Cristiano van Zeller has started a production of wines from single vineyards.

The tasting at Børsen included both white wine, red wine and Port. Here are some notes.
Rufo Branco 2013: A very fresh and straight white with fine acidity
VZ Branco 2003: Made of a blend of Viosinho, Rabigato, Codega and Gouveio, less acidity, heavier and with notes from the cask, but still balanced. A more complex wine in a burgundy style.
Van Zellers CV 2011 and 2012: A wonderful wine with a great structure. Deep and intense with dark berries, cherries and floral notes, some spices and tannins for at long life.
Vinha do Rio 2012: A single vineyard wine from a field close to the river Torto. A nice nose with dark cherries and on the palate raspberry, fruit and soft tannins.
Vinha Francisca 2011: Another single vineyard wine, named after Cristianos daughter. A bit shy in the nose, but elegant with fresh fruit and strong tannins.
Quinta Vale D. Maria 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2012: A nice, fresh and elegant wine with dark fruit and cherries and a nice balance. 2009 was closed, but 2007 was very drinkable and with a great structure and a long finish.
After these wines followed a lecture in different vinification processes. We had three different versions of Touriga Franca, harvested at the same time in 2013, but the first from steel tank, the second from a lagar and the third fortified. They were similar and different at the same time. The first one had green tannins and was a bit sharper in the nose, the second was more open, more concentrated and with softer tannins. The Port version was so to speak a fortified version of the second cask-sample.
Finally we had some different Ports. Reserve Ruby and LBV are both unfiltered and with nice fruit and body. They were followed by Vintage 2003, 2009 and 2011. The oldest one was beginning to soften up, an elegant wine with dark, ripe fruit and soft tannins. The two youngsters were powerful with a lot of fresh fruit and dark berries, immature but with elegance as well.
The last couple of glasses were two colheitas from Van Zeller & Co. made in cooperation with the cousins. 1970 was intense and in fine balance, a nose with dry fruit and figs. 1997 was a bit anonymous compared to the older one, but with notes of nuts and orange.

You can read more about Cristiano van Zeller and Quinta Vale de Maria here

Confraria do Vinho do Porto

Every year around Midsummer, when Porto is celebrating São João, the Enthronement Ceremony of The Confraria do Vinho do Porto and the Rabelo Boat Regatta takes place. Last year I witnessed it for the first time and this year we came back for the Ceremony and the Dinner again. Unfortunately we had to go back home before the Regatta, so we did not see the boat from Dalva win this years race.

Most wine regions have their Brotherhoods with different traditions. The Confraria do Vinho do Porto was founded as late as 1982, but is rich of tradition. The members, the Confrades, are both Brothers from the Port companies and Honorary Brothers - the latter divided into three ranks: Cancelários (Heads of States etc.), Infançãos (Noblemans) and Cavaleiros (people dedicated to Port). Last year the late chairman of The Vintage Port Club was introduced as Cavaleiro, which was the reason for our participation last year. We found it an honour to be there came back this year.

The Ceremony takes place in the famous and beautiful Palácio da Bolsa. At first the five members of the Chancelaria (the Chancery) proceed into the Pátio das Nacões followed by the new Confrades. After the Ceremony where the new member are introduced and given an insignia and a diploma, everyone – Confrades and guests – are raising a glass of Port with the toast: “For Port Wine, for the Confraria, for the Confrades”.

After the Ceremony everyone is marching after the horse guard and the orchestra to the nearby Edífício da Alfàndega do Porto for the reception and Dinner. This is a nice ball and a great place to have a talk with old and new friend in the Port Business. The menu this year was poached hake with cream and clams, oxtail and pork cheek duo with puréed cauliflower and asparagus ragout, Farófias (a traditional Portuguese dessert) and regional cheeses with strawberry and pumpkin jelly. And of course it was served with wine and Port: Vinho Branco Dalva Reserve 2012, Vinho Branco Tiara 2012 from Niepoort, Quinta do Grifo Reserva Tinto 2010 from Rozès, Vinho Tinto Touriga Nacional 2009 from Quinta do Noval, 20 Years Tawny Port from Confraria do Vinho do Porto and then different Vintage Port from 1994. Among others I tried Fonseca, Taylor’s, Dalva and Ramos Pinto.

As a Port lover and journalist writing about Port and Portugal it is a great experience to be among so many people dedicated to Port – and of course a lovely evening with friends.  I sure hope to be back again.

You can read more about the Confraria do Vinho do Porto here.

Cockburn’s – reopened and revisited

From Graham’s we went straight to Cockburn’s. When I visited the lodge in March in was closed and under renovation. In the beginning of June the lodge reopened, so we found it the right place to meet with a close friend of The Vintage Port Club, Gustavo Devesas from the Symington Family Estates – the company that bought Cockburn’s in 2010. In April the club had a tasting of Vintage from Cockburn’s.

First we had a walk around the huge lodge with its long row of pipes and vats. The lodge is the largest in Gaia, and you can’t help getting a bit of the same feeling as when you enter a big cathedral. You feel small and impressed of the richness that surrounds you.

After the tour we went to the new shop and tasting room, where Gustavo had prepared at nice tasting of both Tawny and Vintage for us.

10 years Tawny: Tawny red. Fruit, nuts and almonds, dry and with a spritty end.

20 years Tawny: A bit lighter, red brown. Nice nose with almonds and some orange. Dry and again a spritty end.

Special Reserva: The most popular Port from the company. Pure fruit, blackcurrant. A bit spicy. A great reserva.

LBV 2007: Deeper and a broader palette. Fruity and spicy.   

Canais Vintage 2007: Fruit and some green notes in the nose. Blackberry and other dark berries. A bit pepper and others spices. Still young, but a very nice glass.

Vintage 2011: Lots of fresh fruit, blackberry and other dark berries. Robust with tannins. A baby that sure will grow beauty.

After the tasting we went for a late lunch at splendid restaurant in Matosinhos. Gaveto is famous for its fish and seafood and for at good reason. We had different seafood like shrimps, mussels and “percebes” – a special kind of mussel, and then grilled fish, cheese and cake. And it was served with fresh Vinho Verde from Soalheiro, Graham´s Late Harvest 1982 and Smith Woodhouse Vintage 1999.

I will sure come back to Gaveto next time I am in Porto and explore their menu. And of course I will come back to Cockburn’s as well. A pity that you don’t find a lot of that brand in Denmark.

Churchill’s - a clear house style

Our fist appointment Saturday in Porto was with Maria Emília Campos at Churchill’s. Churchill’s is a relative new company, but founded by a family with a long tradition in Port. The founder and wine maker is John Graham from the family that owned Graham’s until they sold it to Symington Family Estates in 1970. In 1981 he established the new company, Churchill Graham Lda and used his wife’s name for the brand. Since then the reputation for high quality Port and table wines has been growing. In 1999 they bought Quinta da Gricha on the south bank of the Douro, between Pinhão and Tua.

Back in 2011 I attended a tasting of their Vintage Ports in Copenhagen and this spring I paid the house a short visit in Gaia. Here in June we had a tour around the lodge and then a tasting prepared and commented by Maria Campos, the company’s director.

We started with some of their very nice table wines:

Estates Branco 2012: Mostly based on Rabigato and then some Viosinho and old vineyards. Fresh with nice acidity, a good body with citrus and minerals.  

Estates Douro 2011: A blend of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Roriz. Beautiful, deep red. Cherries and other red fruit and notes from the oak, soft tannins, dry and with nice minerality.

Touriga Nacional 2008: More maturity and complexity and a bit rougher, green in the nose, a long finish. More rough than the blend.

Then we continued with Port:

Dry White Aperitif: 10 years old, a blend of Malvasia Fina and other white grape varieties. Looking orange and golden, a bit hidden in the nose. Soft, fresh and dry. Some almonds and mandarin, and a nice finish with pepper. Very useful as an aperitif.

LBV 2007: 4 years on cask, unfiltered. Nice ruby red, but a bit unclear. Great fruitiness, black berries, dry.

10 years Tawny: More red than brown and more fruit than notes from the cask. Dried fruit and orange. Some oxidation.

20 years Tawny: A lovely and impressive glass of tawny. More character and flavour from the cask. Soft and smooth in the mouth, almonds and a long, nice finish.

Vintage 2011: Young, dark and purple with fresh raw fruit and blackcurrant. Dry and with tannins for the long term. Good potential for aging. 

Tasting both wine and Port and among the latter both Tawny and Vintage it is obvious that John Graham and Churchill’s have managed to create their own style with fruit, dryness and minerality. 

Vintage Cellars

Most people who have been visiting Port lodges in Gaia are impressed by the amounts of cask – from the smaller pipes (600 litres) to the big vats (up to 100.000 litres). But another very interesting thing to see and explore is the cellars where the companies are storing their Vintage Port – the Port that are aging in bottles.

After tasting Port at Burmester and Sandeman, we had an appointment with winemaker David Guimaraens in the evening. David Guimaraens is the head winemaker of The Fladgate Partnership which owns Taylor’s, Croft and Fonseca – three prestigious Vintage brands. Last year they bought Krohn as well, a house that is famous for its aged Tawnies and Colheitas.

We met David at Taylor’s lodge and went through the big storehouse with all the casks and down to the Vintage Cellar. Well in a matter of fact there are two cellars – a big one with bottles in two levels and a smaller one. A sign says that the big cellar has a capacity of 576.996 bottles of Port! 

I did not count the bottles, but there sure was a lot in different sizes and ages – and from all three houses. It is interesting to see the differences in the amount of bottles from the vintages. In 2011 all the companies sold most of their stocks en primeur, but in older classical years they stored more.

The cellar at Taylor’s is not the first Vintage Cellar I have visited, and every time I find it exciting to walk around looking at all those bottles from vintages going more than 100 years back. The cellars are very different, which the photos below will show. First we have the cellar in the newly renovated Graham’s logde and then the old and more rustic cellar at Ramos Pinto.

When we left Taylor’s we went across the street to The Yeatman, the hotel that Fladgate opened in 2010. There we had a great dinner beside the pool together with David Guimaraens. 

Oysters, presunto, fish and cheese among other things and off course wine and finally Port: Fonseca Vintage 1994 and 1977, Taylor’s Vintage 1985 and Quinta da Eira Velha Vintage 2008 and 2011. A very comfort and pleasant way to end a long day in Gaia.

Sandeman with Sandeman

After leaving Burmester Friday, we - the board of The Vintage Port Club – went straight to Sandeman´s lodge a bit down the road. It has been many years since I last visited the lodge, so it was nice to be back. We were kindly welcomed by Ligia Marques and Vasco Magalhães, who showed us part of the museum: Old Port bottles, advertisings and posters with the famous Don and some very beautiful drawings of the good old days.

Then we were invited upstairs to the tasting room, where George Sandman, the 7^th generation of the family who founded the company in 1790, joined us. Together we had a tasting of some of the Ports from Sandeman and the two other companies in the Sogrape group. In March this year I visited Offley´s lodge and the year before Ferreira, a company that both I and The Vintage Port Club will like to know much better – both due to the quality of the Port and the impressing history connected with the legendary Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira.

The tasting at Sandeman was both vertical and horizontal. First we had Sandeman Vintage 1977, 1994 and 2003 and in the next flight Vintage 2011 from Offley, Ferreira and Sandeman.

Sandeman 1977: Brownish and matured, but still with some acidity. A taste of cedar tree and spices.   

Sandeman 1994: Red berries and fruit, but unfortunately a bit oxidised, lacking some freshness.

Sandeman 2003: A fine balance, nice fruit, blackcurrant and other dark berries. More robust, but a bit closed at the moment.

Sandeman 2011: Black, potent, powerful and concentrated with lots of fresh fruit, blackcurrant, plums, cedar tree and cassis and strong tannins. Impressive now and will sure be great in the future.

Offley 2011: Less complexity, but with a nice taste of plums and black fruit. A fine finish. 

Ferreira 2011: More elegant and more character. Red berries, blackberry and flowers, robust but not hard tannins and a good spiciness with a bit curry. 

After the tasting we had superb lunch with Ligia, Vasco and George. Among other things we had bacalhau in a small packet of bread, duck and a cake with almonds. The wine served was from Casa Ferreirinha, first a white Vinha Grande 2012, then a red Quinta da Leda 2011, a very delicious 30 years Tawny from Sandeman and finally we retasted the bottles from the tasting.

When we left the lodge we were full of impressions after being welcomed like that and spending some hours in good company with great food, wine and last but not least, Port. The tasting proved that the style and in my opinion the quality of Sandeman has improved during the last two decades.

Port and Revolution

Friday in Porto, our second day, began with a lovely visit to Burmester´s lodge, where Sonja Figueira and winemakers Carla Tiago presented some nice bottles from Sogevinus – the group that beside Burmester owns brands like Cálem, Barros, Kopke, Hutcheson and Feist. Before the tasting we had a short tour around the beautiful restored lodge, which first of all is a visit center for the many tourists and Port lovers. The main building for storing Port is further up behind in Gaia.

This time the tasting took place in a room behind the lodge with a magnificent view to the Don Louis I Bridge. Above there is a terrace, where you can enjoy the Bridge from a more seldom angle and the tasting room below has large windows too the river as well. A lovely place to spend a couple of hours together with nice glasses of Port. 

First we hand a couple of table wines. Kopke Doc White 2013 is made of a blend of Arinto, Gouveio and Rabigato. It is very fresh and straight forward with nice acid and some exotic fruit notes, but perhaps a bit short tail. Kopke Doc Red 2011 is made from typical Douro grapes. Beautiful red, cherries and some spices, nice soft tannins and a long end. 

The followed a nice row of Port.

Burmester Vintager 2011: Young, but drinkable, dark and purple, a nice nose with red fruit and some violet, good fruitiness and some notes of flowers and then a nice long end.

Kopke 10 years Tawny: Mahogany. Some dried fruits in the nose, almonds and fruit and a nice balance.  

Burmester Colheita 1998: Brown, a bit orange in the nose, intense and fruity with cherries and other red berries, a nice balance and some pepper in the end.

Kopke 20 years White: Delicious, elegant and with notes of coconuts, almonds and some orange. Soft in the mouth, but perhaps a bit sharp in the nose.

Kopke Colheita 1989, Dark brown, dried fruit and vanilla, but still with fruit too. Deep.

Kopke 40 years White. A bit sharp in the nose. Still with coconuts, but more character from the oak. Nuts and fruits, a bit orange, nice acidity.

Barros Special Edition Colheita 1974: Released as a celebration of the 40 year anniversary of the revolution and therefore the bottle is decorated with a poem, a hymn to freedom, formed as a carnation. Amber, very well balanced with great fruitiness and lots of almonds. Elegant and delicious.  “Freedom, Evidence of Portuguese Talent”, as the poems says.

After the visit at Burmester we went straight to Sandeman. Report will follow.

Old Colheitas and Bacalhau

A week ago I was back in Porto – my second visit this year. Lovely.

This time I was here with the board of The Vintage Port Club, and the main reason was the Enthronement Ceremony at the Confraria do Vinho do Porto and the dinner after. But we arrived a couple of days before and off course we spent our time visiting port lodges for meetings and tastings. Everywhere we were welcomed with great hospitality and kindness.

The first day we met Alvaro van Zeller from Barão de Vilar and Maynards, who visited the Club for our annual Winemaker’s Dinners earlier this year. Alvaro kindly poured from his old stocks of Colheita and from bottles in the tasting room. First we had 2003 in two different blends – one of them sweet and heavy with a lot of coconut flavor. Then we had a 10 years white Tawny followed by white colheitas from 2004 and 2003 and colheitas from 1998, 1970, 1963, 1947 and 1934. My favorite again was 1963 with its great balance, but 1947 was great as well, very dark and intense with caramel. 1934 is off course delicious, but for my taste it is a bit too concentrated with its balsamic character. I prefer more freshness like in the 1963.

The visit at Barão de Vilar had another purpose. The Vintage Port Club will celebrate its 25^th years Anniversary later this year. The club was established in 1989 by a group of Port lovers. The Anniversary will be celebrated in two ways. We will arrange an international event and a big tasting of Vintage 1994, and at the date of the founding of the Club we will have a tasting of both Vintage and Colheitas from 1989. Besides this we will release our own White Colheita 1989. It is Alvaro van Zeller who has found a cask and blended our Jubilee Port. When we visited him we tasted two different versions and decided which one it should be. We choose the bottle shape and size as well. Now we just have to design labels.

After the visit we were have dinner with Alvaro in the restaurant Bacalhau in Ribeira – a very nice family owned place with good Portuguese cooking.

The next couple of days we visited several Port Lodges. Some reports will follow soon.

Visiting Offley and Quinta do Seixo

During my last visit in Portugal I spent a day with Joana Pais from Sogrape, the company that owns the famous brand Mateus and three big Port producers Offley, Sandeman and Ferreira. Joana suggested that we took a daytrip to the Douro and – knowing the beautifulness of the valley – I off course agreed.

Before driving up, we visited Offley´s lodge in Gaia. After a formal tour around the lodge, winemaker Luis de Sottomayor joined us for a tasting of some of the companies Port. First the entry level with White Port, Ruby and Tawny, where I found the White Port among the better ones with a good balance. Next we had Offley´s 10 years old Tawny. Yellow and with notes from the cask, almonds and vanilla and a nice balance. Fresh, but not with a lot of character. Finally we had LBV 2009 and Vintage 2011. The former unfiltered, dark and with plenty of fruit. Black currant and a bit elderberry in the nose and soft tannins. The latter more dark, powerful and sharp, a great nose of black currant, cassis and a bit coffee, not that deep, but straight forward and tempting. 

Luis de Sottomayor explained that the styles of Sograpes three Port brands are different when it comes to Tawny and Ruby. Among the tawnies Sandeman is the most elegant, Offley more rustic and Ferreira somewhere in between. When it comes to Ruby and Vintage Sandeman is more powerful and robust than the more easy going Offley – and again with Ferreira placed in the middle.

With this introduction we went off to the Douro and arrived at Quinta de Seixo close to Pinhão a couple of hours later, after climbing and crossing the rainy Serra do Marão, the mountain that forms the border between the green Vinho Verde district and the Douro.

Quinta do Seixo was renovated and reopened as a wine and visit Centre in 2007. It has 70 hectares of both old and newly planted vineyards. Inside you pass by a big rock which has not been moved to the place for the exhibition but is a part of the actually rocky hill, which gave the Quinta its name. The tour starts a bit mysterious in the dark, where you can follow guides dressed in the famous cape and hat like Don – the iconic silhouette connected to the Sandeman brand. And it ends in the light in a beautiful tasting room and shop with big windows opening to the sunny view of the Douro Valley. Besides being the visit centre, the Quinta is the main vinification centre for the company’s best Ports and therefore has big robot lagares and modern production facilities.

After a lovely lunch with vegetable soup, octopuses and cheese, served with the fresh and crispy Planalto White and a red Callabrica Douro 2010 – both from Casa Ferreirinha – and finally Offley Colheita 1997, we walked around in the vineyards. Luis de Sottomayor showed a field with Touriga Nacional and one with 80 years old mixed grapes. The old vines give a high quality and are used for the best Ports.  

Before heading back to Porto we enjoyed Sandeman´s range of tawnies. As Luis de Sottomayor explained the style is more elegant and perhaps feminine compared to Offley. I preferred the 20 years Tawny, which was light mahogany, a bit discreet in the nose, but with a splendid taste of almonds and a nice balance. The 30 years was brown with a yellow and green rime, more taste from the cask and some orange peel in the nose, creamier but still well balanced. The 40 years was more intense and concentrated, fat, heavy and creamy. A nice glass to end a lovely day with.