At Maître Philippe et filles, we are always looking for exciting new products that capture our hearts and that we can offer our customers. Our focus is, of course, on French delicatessen, but when there are interesting products to discover and taste elsewhere, we are curious and take a closer look … Portugal seems to be a real treasure trove in this regard!
We have already had the fantastic Alento wines by Luis Louro from Alentejo on our program for some time, and since the start of the asparagus season, also the great Vinho Verde from Quinta de Teamonde in the north of the country. We wanted to complete this small selection with wine from the famous Douro Valley, which many of you may already know. So we booked a flight on relatively short notice, packed our suitcases, and set off with the family ...
At the airport in Berlin at 16° ...
... at the train station in Peso da Régua at 28°!
The Douro Valley is located in northern Portugal and owes its name to the river of the same name, which flows like a blue artery through the valley. The Douro Valley is one of Europe's best-known wine regions and has been a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2011. In fact, it is the oldest protected wine-growing region in the world: Here, the Marquês de Pombal established the quality standards for wine and viticulture in 1756. In the past, the Douro Valley was primarily known for Port wine, but nowadays more and more very good, especially red, wines are produced here, which are delighting more and more critics and happy drinkers worldwide.
In this extremely green and fertile valley, not only heat accumulates, but above all, a lot of history, a lot of know-how, and a lot of good wine!
View of the Douro Valley
Our journey began with a short stopover in Porto and then took us further to Peso da Régua, a small town in the interior of the country, around 120 kilometers east of Porto. Here we set up camp to get to know selected winemakers and their wines in the coming days.
View from our window
The host's sister-in-law and her husband got us started with a completely spontaneous wine tasting on the evening of our arrival. Because, of course, they also have their own vineyards. Under the Arcadela brand, they produce protected-designation-of-origin Douro wine and Port wine, which they export to several European countries. The exception is Port wine. That is – as we were told again and again in the following days – “only for family and friends” ...
We tried a white wine, a classic red everyday wine, a Reserva, and their Tawny Port.
Our verdict: incredibly nice people and very good down-to-earth wine.
The wines of Arcadela
The next day, we continued early in the morning with Quita do Judeu, where we were received by André Marinho Pinto, who runs the Quinta with his wife. André is 38 years old, an extremely likable and relaxed guy, and speaks Portuguese with a slight Brazilian accent. Just like his wife, he belongs to the so-called “returnees,” Portuguese people born in Brazil who returned to their parents' homeland in their early twenties and built a life here.
Surroundings of Quinta do Judeu
Quinta do Judeu owes its name to an old Roman stone statue of a Jew, about which no one knows exactly what the story is … The Quinta has been in the family for a long time, but was not farmed until the early 2000s. It was only in 2004 that Andrés' father bequeathed the Quinta to the couple. With massive investment (including the help of EU subsidies), the two restored the estate and got the house, vineyards, and facilities back in shape. Since then, they have been running the Quinta with the help of an oenologist and a professional winemaker. The two themselves are career changers from business and marketing. The harmonious appearance of the brand reflects their skills in this area.
Quinta do Judeu and the namesake statue (the new version by a local artist – the original was stolen)
At Quinta do Judeu, four wines from autochthonous grape varieties are produced, which grow on A and B plots: a white wine, an everyday red wine ("Corgo"), and two red wines at the Reserva level, although they are not labeled as such ("By Quinta" and "Quinta do Judeu").
The wines of Quinta do Judeu
First, André received us at the Quinta and showed us the entire facility. We started with the lagares. These are large granite troughs in which the grapes are crushed by treading, without crushing the seeds. This gives the wine its beautiful intense red color, but no additional astringent substances and tannins enter the wine. This old method actually delivers much better results than all other mechanical methods.
The lagares
An interesting detail: At Quinta do Judeu, all parts of the facility are arranged so that gravity is utilized as much as possible. Thus, the stainless steel tanks and barrels are located in a sunken room, and the wine can flow directly down from the lagares without having to be pumped. In another part of the facility are the storage area, packing station, and loading area, from where orders are shipped to the whole world. About 90% of the production goes abroad, including to Brazil, China, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland …
This is where the wine is stored – in bottles and in barrels
Next, we all got into André's Jeep to take a close look at his vineyards. One of the main features of this growing area is the very steep slopes, which often make working with tractors and machines impossible and necessitate hand-harvesting. The vineyards of Quinta do Judeu are also located on terraces on the steep slopes of the Douro.
Overall, the three vineyards span 27 hectares, which are quite scattered and also partly far from the Quinta, presenting an additional challenge. Right now in May, not much is going on in the vineyards: The vines are being pruned, tied up, and treated as part of moderate pest control.
André explains the work in the vineyard to us
The vineyards on the steep slopes
It is only in the fall that things get busy here again, because then it is harvest time. Then numerous seasonal workers, many of them from Eastern Europe, are hired, working for an hourly wage that exceeds the German minimum wage. However, the work is also really hard, and the thermometer regularly climbs above 40°C … even hardened workers sometimes give up early, André says.
“The wine is the boss: When it sleeps, we sleep, when it needs work, we work”
(André Marinho Pinto)
Honestly, we can hardly imagine ourselves scurrying around here with a heavy basket on our backs even at 34°C. So we prefer to continue listening to André's explanations and enjoy the breathtaking view …
Panoramic view from the São Leonardo viewpoint
After this excursion, we are taken to a small hidden restaurant in Régua – a local insider tip. In a relaxed 70s atmosphere with competent and friendly waiters and a fantastic meal (including Bacalhau and grilled octopus), we finally get to enjoy the wines.
At the wine tasting
The "Corgo" and also the 2012 white wine, which is produced with grapes from 85-year-old vines, are particularly interesting to us. An absolute winter wine, which is not out of place in the air-conditioned room. It is beautifully round, rich, full, and has a slight sweetness. It pairs excellently with the mushrooms we received as an appetizer.
The 2013 Corgo is a great everyday red wine with a lot of character and 14% alcohol, which you cannot tell from it. On the nose, the Touriga Nacional dominates, bringing a beautiful floral note. On the palate, the wine delights with a slight acidity and subtle tannins. We can imagine it pairing well with all kinds of food, but we think it does not necessarily need to be accompanied by food. The two higher-priced and heavier red wines "By Quinta" and "Quinta do Judeu" are different, of course.
Our verdict of the meeting: an interesting and pleasant experience with fantastic wines – bingo!
The second appointment of the day is in the evening at the Quinta do Monte Travesso. It is located on the other side of the Douro, where according to André the roads are better, but the wines are worse, because it is the shady side and the slopes are not always quite as steep … :)
In fact, the vineyards of this Quinta are less steep, but their wines really do not have to hide!
The vineyards of Quinta do Monte Travesso
Quinta do Monte Travesso is run by Bernardo Napolés and his father José and has been in the possession of the Napolés de Carvalho family for 5 generations, an old Portuguese landed gentry family. The Quinta dates back to the early 19th century and breathes history from every corner. All the rooms – even the inhabited ones – look like they are from a museum: Everywhere stand old artifacts of wine and agriculture, as well as the great-grandfather's uniform covered in medals and the souvenirs he brought back from Asia (he was a commander in Macau). A private chapel of their own with an imposing altar naturally cannot be missing. He himself was also baptized here, José proudly tells us.
In the museum ...
Bernardo, who represents the family business in the lead, has always worked in the wine business. He divides his time between the family business and the large Portuguese-British Port wine group Symington, for which he works as an advisor.
Our wine tasting begins with the informal multilingual small talk on the terrace with an excellent rosé – a rarity in the region, which otherwise tends to focus on red wine
The Monte Travesso rosé in a fitting setting
Then Bernardo begins with a small tour of the estate. Although everything here is much more traditional than at Quinta do Judeu, you can tell that the son brings a fresh character to the company. Not only are the bottles and their boxes quite minimalist, but the entry-level wine Travesso also surprises with a very modern and playful label that sticks in the memory.
The Travesso
The grape presses – unfortunately empty.
After a walk around the outdoor area, we go to the lagares and the stainless steel barrels, where we taste the 2013 Monte Travesso red wine and the red Reserva 2014. So directly from the tank in the middle of hoses and other equipment, such a wine tastes completely different – a nice experience!
Bernardo pours and explains his work
Then we sit down with the whole family, including Bernardo's mother Theresa and his sister Ana, who by the way sticks all the labels, at the set table in the middle of the traditionally decorated dining room. There are Portuguese home-cooked specialties prepared by Theresa and, of course, the wine.
The selection includes a total of five wines ("Travesso", the red entry-level wine; the three Monte Travesso wines in white, rosé, and red; the Reserva), as well as a Port wine – “only for friends and family” –, an interesting blend of Ruby and Tawny.
Surprisingly, the rosé was our favorite of all. It is very full-bodied, beautifully light, and has a great intense color, like freshly crushed raspberries or grenadine. It goes well as a pure drink, but also works as an accompaniment to light to full-bodied dishes.
Our verdict: a warm-hearted family, an interesting family, exciting wines!
...
With heads and hearts full of impressions, we return happily to Berlin after three exciting days. Our haul is at least a new rosé and a beautiful red wine not just for the fall. We have learned under what partly very difficult circumstances wine is made in the Douro Valley, which we so carelessly pour into the glass a few thousand kilometers away and which delights us so.
We also met extremely friendly people, including our host Roberto from Casa Grande do Serrado in Sanhoane (a quarter of an hour from Régua), where we slept for two nights, his neighbors, who gave us a basket full of fresh oranges and lemons from their garden without being asked, Edith, the round and hearty cook of the village, who prepared us an evening feast with her homemade Bacalhau and potato chips, and so many others …
The Douro Valley is definitely worth a trip and we will surely return. For those who cannot arrange that so quickly, we simply recommend our new wines for now. Saúde!
