ProWine Asia 2016 and some wines from Portugal

I came across 2 interesting wine companies from Portugal during this ProWine Asia. One was Read Companhia Velha and the other Chateau dÓr.

Real Companhia Velha 

Real Companhia Velha had some history to offer. It was founded by King D. Jose I in 1756. Ms Dora Esteves Martins, who was at this booth, shared that this is the 'oldest Port wine company' in Portugal and has over the years greatly contributed to the development of the port wine industry.

Ms Dora Esteves Martins and friends

This company currently owns some of the best Quintas located in the Douro region (Quinta das Carvalhas, Quinta de Cidro, Quinta dos Aciprestes and Quinta do Casal da Granja to name a few).

Still wines (from Quinta de Cidro, Delaforce and Porca de Murca) as well as ports of varied styles (ruby, tawny, colheita, vntage and LBVs) were showcased during this trade show.

Previously one challenge I faced in appreciating Portuguese reds is the number of varietals which some producers generously include into a particular blend (it certainly can be one too many); and the lack of familiarity with these varietal names often added to this challenge. Such an endeavour could be perfectly justifiable from the perspective of a wine producer who appreciates what each varietal contributes and thus arrives at a composition which comes together to make a good wine in the glass; but still a challenge I must say to an overseas wine consumer trying to discover wines from Portugal.

Quinta de Cidro wines

It was therefore pleasing to see wines like Quinta de Cidro’s well made monovarietal Touriga Nacional; and another red, a blend of Touriga Nacional and Cabernet Sauvignon. Both reflected good quality, smooth texture and an elegant personality. These wines come from the Sao Joao da Pesqueira wine area in Douro.

Royal Oporto port wines

The Royal Oporto ports, apart from showing complexity and enjoyable constitution, came in well designed wine bottles which captured the attention of event participants and tempted them to stop at this booth for more information.

Chateau dÓr

It would be reasonable to say Chateau dÓr  stood out amidst the alcohol supported liquid wares offered by other booths during this event. This wine company chose to offer 'alcohol free' wines.

‘Why?’ was the question which went through my mind when I chanced upon this booth. The company representative explained that in markets where alcoholic beverages face challenges in terms of pricing, tax or cultural issues, ‘alcohol free’ wines offer an alternate option .



Chateau DÓr Red

The red alcohol free wine is produced using Merlot; while Chardonnay is used to produce a white. It sees a growing demand in some parts of the world for its alcohol free wines and intends to pursue these markets.