|
Herdade de Esporão
Apartado 31,
7200-999 Reguengos de Monsaraz, Portugal
E-mail: herdade@esporao.com
Website: www.esporao.com
My interest in Alentejo was first piqued around 10 years ago when I was invited to a wine tasting dinner at the Portuguese Ambassador’s home in Delhi. I met the winemaker David Baverstock with whom I tasted wines from this winery. Originally an Australian, he visited Portugal around 20 years before and was so impressed with Alentejo (this was perhaps the period of renaissance of Alentejo in around 1985. I didn’t know then that he had become Portuguese and a force to reckon with in Portuguese winemaking. Apparently he has made a significant contribution to the improvement of the image of Alentejo and Portugal and of course the wines of Herdade do Esporão.
A letter from the king in records suggests that Esporão has been in operation since 1267. Located in Reguengos de Monsaraz, it is one of the biggest and oldest wine estates, not only in Alentejo but in Portugal, boasting an area of 400 hA of vines. It is a family-owned winery owned by the Roquette family since 1989. João Roquette CEO is carrying on the legacy, history, and quality of wines. The family had bought the property in 1973; it was acquired in 1974 like every other property and was returned to the family in 1985.
Esporão it has been a pioneer in wine tourism in Alentejo, with facilities designed to receive wine tourist groups and walk- in visitors. Unfortunately, the whole 150 m stretch on both sides of the road acting as the parking felt are not covered and it felt like 500 m under the hot sun at 40°C; weak hearted should be dropped off at the wine tasting complex.
But once you are inside the reception area, you are directed to a vast, expansive and beautiful wine tasting room and the shop where one may taste wines and order delicious snacks with different wines. I tasted several delicious wines with snacks with the group sommelier who opened his heart and bottles for us to taste. I really liked a Semillon, made from the varietal cultivated since 1991 and producing age-worthy white wine.
A cellar hand took us to show us the refurbished winery barely a hundred meters away. It was constructed 3 years ago to produce small volume of wines. The objective was also to carry on the legacy of winemaking in stone presses and marble lagares (open tanks where the grapes are crushed by human feet or mechanical peddlers) and keep the tradition alive.
As a part of the World Wine Route, they have received thousands of people since 1997, offering them educational and recreational tours of the vineyards on foot or by bicycle. The center holds wine tasting and courses, cellar and winery tours and creates gastronomic experiences in an impressive restaurant.
An internationally acclaimed wine estate already exporting to 60 countries, Esporão is well equipped to offer a wide range of wines and has the infrastructure to export wines anywhere in the world including India where I had the first taste of their wines earlier with David Baverstock who was out of town during my visit.
Torre de Palma Wine Hotel
Portelagre, Monforte in Alentejo
http://www.torredepalma.com/en
Torre de Palma is a brand new winery built inside the beautiful hotel complex Torre de Palma Wine Hotel, an old palace owned by one of the Portuguese kings. The winery is relatively new but the wines we tasted show a great promise. Being a boutique winery, it may not have an interest or the capability to export at this point but offers a fabulous opportunity as a wine hotel and for destination weddings. In fact, a week before I visited the winery, there had been a wedding of an Indian couple living in UK and from all accounts it was a great hit.
The complex of which winery is a part has well apportioned rooms that give you the impression of an elegant but well-kept and extremely comfortable bedroom. The restaurant is truly chic and it has already become very popular for wine tourism. Although the palace is dated 1338 AD, the Torre de Palma Wine Hotel was born recently in 2014. Inspired by the lifestyle of the distinguished Basilii family, former inhabitants of the nearby Torre de Palma Roman ruins, and Alentejo traditions, the hotel was designed with several 5-star comforts, says Ana Isabel Rebelo, the General Manager.
The 5-star project is devoted to Alentejo wine and offers genuine wine experiences. It features the typical Alentejo architecture: white-washed walls and inviting, comfortable rooms. The 19-room hotel with elegant interiors that combine contemporary design with traditional pieces and in perfect harmony with the natural surroundings would not exist if it were not for its core identity:-wine production and, consequently, wine tourism. The magical winery is Torre de Palma’s symbol of hotel’s wine culture. In addition to an extensive vineyard area, there is also a room filled with wine barrels, a wine tasting room, wine production area and numerous leisure and cultural activities organised around Alentejo wines.
Incidentally, this boutique hotel includes indoor and outdoor swimming pools, a spa, Basilii Restaurant and a beautiful chic bar. It also has a screening room, a chapel next to the winery, horse riding arena, organic vegetable garden, orchard, vines, a little olive grove and a small forest. About 10 minutes away from the village of Monforte, it is quite conveniently located in the heart of Alentejo. I believe one will hear a lot more about the property within a few years.
Herdade do Mouchão
Vimieiro
www.mouchao.pt
David Ferreira, the affable Director looking after the sales and marketing of this iconic winery received us at the last stop of my visit to Alentejo. Owned by Iain Richardson, the great-great-grandson of John Reynolds who bought the property in the 19th century, the winery has two parts, built in 1901 and 1903 respectively and connected with a courtyard through which we entered the estate.
The 900 hA of the Herdade has 38 hA of vineyards today. It uses traditional methods like pressing by hand and using cement coated lagares to stomp the grapes. Besides wine they also grow cork trees, olives and honey and also have sheep and cows. Like other Alentejo estates, it was also acquired in 1974 revolution and was returned to the family in 1985. The production is merely 250,000 bottles out of which around 40,000 bear the Mouchão mark-the others are Dom Rafael and Pontes das Canas.
In what may be a historical trivia to most, I was amused to find out a day earlier at Dona Maria from the winemaker Sandra Gonçalves that Iain Richardson’s ancestor Isabel Bastos was also the ancestor of Iain.
The Herdade, a southern Portuguese word for Quinta, makes the entry level Dom Rafael label- with white wine made from the indigenous Antão Vaz and Arinto grapes while using Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez (Tempranillo), Trincadeira to make the red blend.
Ponte das Canas is a mid range red wine- a blend of Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, and Syrah. It’s a very balanced and elegant wine with berry fruit flavours and quite long.
Mouchão is an internationally acclaimed red wine from Alicante Bouschet and Trincadeira and though expensive, it’s the best value-for-money wine for a connoisseur. If money is no constraint, there is the top ended Herdade do Mouchão Tonel 3-4 retailing at around $165 is perhaps the best Portuguese red wine. Made from 100% Alicante Bouschet, the hand-picked grapes are taken to the lagares (stone treading tanks without destalking). The wine in fermentation is foot trodden three times a day for around one week. It is then run off to 60-year old Brazilian hardwood vats numbered 3 and 4 (and hence the 3-4 in its label). It is kept there for 2 years before bottling after which it is rested for another 2 years before release. The latest released vintage 2011 was rated in April this year at 97 points by Robert Parker- the highest rating for a Portuguese wine. Drinkability 2019-51!
However, Mouchão with a 95 rating but at less than a fifth of the price, makes more commercial sense normally for an affluent consumer with an analytical brain and a knack for picking best values for quality wines. It makes a perfect sense to promote this wine in India by the discerning hotels for their special clients who look to buy the best but at decent prices.
Mouchão in India
The Wine Park has been importing a couple of lower end labels from Mouchão. So what has been his experience? Though not frustrated yet, Vishal Kadakia is quite disappointed by the response from Indian consumers in general though a few of his clients who are knowledgeable about fine Portuguese wines buy from him regularly. ‘The problem is –you forget about Alentejo wines, people are not even aware of Portuguese wines and many wonder if Portugal produces wines at all. They would rather buy French and Italian wines which they know about. The Portuguese need to create awareness and this cannot be done by a single producer,’ says the owner Vishal.
The rather complex name for the Indian tongue might not help matters either. When I tell Vishal it is very simple to pronounce as Moo-cha (like in chai)-aoN (as in Gurgaon), he gives a wary smile that indicates he is quite sceptical.
His experience and that of Prestige Wines and Spirits Pvt. Ltd shows that a lot of work still needs to be done by the producers through some Associations like Wines of Portugal etc.
This concludes the 3-Part series on the wines and wineries of Alentejo, besides Ervideira winery and Casa Santos Lima in Lisbon. These earlier Articles may be viewed as under:
Wines and Wineries of Alentejo- Part II
Wines and Wineries of Alentejo
Edivo Vina: Latest Underwater Cellar in Croatia
Portuguese Wineries: Casa Santos Lima in Lisbon
Subhash Arora |