At Maître Philippe et filles, we're always on the lookout for exciting new products that capture our hearts and that we can offer our customers. Our focus is naturally on French gourmet food, but if there are interesting products to discover and taste elsewhere, we're curious and take a closer look... Portugal seems to be a true treasure trove in this regard!
We've had the fantastic Alento wines from Luis Louro in the Alentejo in our program for some time now, and since the beginning of asparagus season, we've also been offering the excellent Vinho Verde from Quinta de Teamonde in the north of the country. We wanted to round out this small selection with wine from the famous Douro Valley, which many of you may already be familiar with. So, at relatively short notice, we booked a flight, packed our bags, and set off with the family...
At Berlin Airport at 16°...
... at the Peso da Régua train station at 28°!
The Douro Valley is located in northern Portugal and takes its name from the river of the same name, which flows through the valley like a blue lifeline. The Douro Valley is one of Europe's most famous 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: It was here that the Marquês de Pombal established the quality standards for wine and winemaking in 1756. The Douro Valley was once primarily known for port wine, but today, more and more excellent wines, especially red ones, are being produced here, which are pleasing more and more critics and happy drinkers around the world.
This extremely green and fertile valley is not only home to heat, but also to a wealth of history, know-how and good wine!
View of the Douro Valley
Our journey began with a brief stopover in Porto and then continued to Peso da Régua, a small inland town about 120 kilometers east of Porto. Here we set up camp to spend the next few days getting to know select winemakers and their wines.
View from our window
Our host's sister-in-law and her husband kicked things off with a spontaneous wine tasting on the evening of our arrival. Of course, they also own their own vineyards. Under the Arcadela brand, they produce protected-origin Douro wine and port wine, which they export to several European countries. The exception is the port wine. This, as we would hear many times in the days that followed, is "only for family and friends"...
We tried a white wine, a classic everyday red, a reserva, and their tawny port.
Our conclusion: incredibly nice people and very good, down-to-earth wine.
The wines of Arcadela
The next day, at 10 a.m., we continued to Quita do Judeu , where we were welcomed by André Marinho Pinto, who runs the quinta with his wife. André is 38 years old, a very pleasant and relaxed guy, and speaks Portuguese with a slight Brazilian accent. Like his wife, he is one of the so-called "returnees," Portuguese-born Brazilians 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 ancient Roman stone statue of a Jew, the origins of which no one quite knows. The quinta has been in the family for a long time, but was not cultivated until the early 2000s. It was not until 2004 that Andrés' wife's father bequeathed the quinta to the couple. With massive investment (including EU subsidies), the couple restored the property and revamped the house, vineyards, and facilities. Since then, they have run the quinta with the help of an oenologist and a professional winemaker. The couple themselves are career changers from business and marketing. The coherent brand image reflects their skills in this field.
The Quinta do Judeu and the eponymous statue (the new version by a local artist – the original was stolen)
Quinta do Judeu produces four wines from indigenous grape varieties grown on A and B vineyards: a white wine, an everyday red wine ("Corgo"), and two red wines at Reserva level, which, however, are not declared as such ("By Quinta" and "Quinta do Judeu").
The wines of Quinta do Judeu
First, André welcomed us to 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 them without crushing the seeds. This gives the wine its beautiful, intense red color, but prevents any additional tannins from entering the wine. This ancient method actually produces much better results than all other mechanical methods.
The Lagares
An interesting detail: At Quinta do Judeu, all parts of the facility are positioned to utilize gravity as much as possible. This means that the stainless steel tanks and barrels are located in a lowered space, allowing the wine to flow directly from the lagares without the need for pumping. Another part of the facility houses the warehouse, packing station, and the loading area, from where orders are shipped all over the world. Approximately 90% of production is exported to countries including Brazil, China, Belgium, Germany, Ireland, Switzerland, and others.
This is where the wine is stored – in bottles and barrels
Next, we all climbed into Andrés's jeep for a closer look at his vineyards. One of the key characteristics of this region is the very steep slopes, which often make working with tractors and machinery impossible and force the grapes to be harvested by hand. The vineyards of Quinta do Judeu are also terraced on the steep slopes of the Douro.
In total, the three vineyards cover 27 hectares, which are quite scattered and, in some cases, located far from the quinta, which presents an additional challenge. Now, in May, there's not much going on in the vineyards: the vines are being pruned, tied down, and treated as part of a moderate pest control program.
André explains the work in the vineyard
The vineyards on the steep slopes
Things only really get busy here again in the fall, when it's harvest time. That's when numerous seasonal workers, many of them from Eastern Europe, are hired, earning an hourly wage that exceeds the German minimum wage. However, the work is really hard, and temperatures regularly climb above 40°C... even hard-working workers sometimes give up prematurely, says André.
“The wine is the boss: When it sleeps, we sleep, when it needs work, we work”
(André Marinho Pinto)
To be honest, even at 34°C, we can hardly imagine climbing around here with a heavy basket on our backs. So we prefer to continue listening to Andrés's explanations and enjoy the breathtaking view...
Panoramic view from the São Leonardo viewpoint
After this excursion, we'll be taken to a small, hidden restaurant in Régua—a local insider tip. In a relaxed 70s atmosphere with competent and friendly waiters and fantastic food (including bacalhau and grilled octopus), we'll finally get to enjoy the wines.
At the wine tasting
We're particularly interested in the "Corgo" and the 2012 white wine, made with grapes from 85-year-old vines. A truly winter wine that doesn't seem out of place in the air-conditioned room. It's beautifully round, rich, full-bodied, and has a slight sweetness. It pairs perfectly with the bacon-covered mushrooms we're served as an appetizer.
The 2013 Corgo is a great everyday red wine with plenty of character and 14% alcohol, which you won't notice. The nose is dominated by Touriga Nacional, which brings lovely floral notes. In the mouth, the wine delights with light acidity and subtle tannins. We can imagine it pairing well with any type of food, but don't think it necessarily needs to be accompanied by food. The two higher-priced and heavier red wines "By Quinta" and "Quinta do Judeu" are, of course, different.
Our conclusion from the meeting: an interesting and pleasant experience with fantastic wines – bingo!
The second appointment of the day is in the evening at Quinta do Monte Travesso . It's located on the other side of the Douro, where, according to André, the roads are better, but the wines are worse because it's on the shady side and the slopes aren't always quite as steep... :)
In fact, the vineyards of this Quinta are less steep, but their wines really have nothing 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 owned by the Napolés de Carvalho family, an old Portuguese landed aristocracy, for five generations. The quinta dates back to the early 19th century and exudes history from every angle. Every room—even the occupied ones—feels like a museum: Old artifacts from viticulture and agriculture are everywhere, as well as the great-grandfather's uniform, decorated with medals, and souvenirs he brought back from Asia (he was a commander in Macau). Of course, there's also a private chapel with an impressive altar. José proudly tells us that he himself was baptized here.
In the museum...
Bernardo, who represents the family business, 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 acts as a consultant.
Our wine tasting begins with casual multilingual small talk on the terrace with an excellent rosé – a rarity in the region, which otherwise relies more on red wine
The Rosé Monte Travesso in a fitting setting
Bernardo then begins a short tour of the estate. Although everything here is much more traditional than at Quinta do Judeu, it's noticeable that his son brings a fresh character to the business. 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 your mind.
The Travesso
The grape presses – unfortunately empty.
After a tour of the grounds, we head to the lagares and stainless steel barrels, where we taste the 2013 Monte Travesso red wine and the 2014 red Reserva. Fresh from the tank, surrounded by hoses and other equipment, a wine tastes completely different—a wonderful 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 on the table, at the set table in the middle of the traditionally decorated dining room. There's Portuguese home-style specialties prepared by Theresa, and, of course, the wine.
The selection includes a total of five wines (“Travesso,” the entry-level red wine; the three Monte Travesso wines in white, rosé, and red; and the Reserva), as well as a port wine—“only for friends and family”—an interesting blend of Ruby and Tawny.
Surprisingly, we liked the rosé the best of all. It's very characterful, beautifully winey, and has a wonderfully intense color, like freshly crushed raspberries or grenadine. It works well as a drink on its own, but also pairs well with light to rich dishes.
Our conclusion: a warm-hearted family, an interesting family, exciting wines!
...
With our heads and hearts full of impressions, we happily return to Berlin after three exciting days. Our haul includes at least one new rosé and a beautiful red wine, not just for autumn. We've learned about the sometimes very difficult conditions in the Douro Valley under which the wine we so carelessly pour into our glasses several thousand kilometers away is produced, and which brings us such delight.
We also met some extremely friendly people, including our host Roberto from the Casa Grande do Serrado in Sanhoane (a quarter of an hour from Régua) , where we stayed for two nights, his neighbors, who spontaneously gave us a basket full of fresh oranges and lemons from their garden, Edith, the plump and welcoming village cook, who prepared an evening feast for us with her homemade bacalhau and potato chips, and so many others...
The Douro Valley is definitely worth a trip, and we'll definitely be back. If that's not possible, we recommend our new wines for now. Saúde!
