Vinum Wine Importing and Distributing, LLC - Portugal

Domingos and his son Tiago produce some of the most exciting wines coming from the Douro. A supplier to the Port trade for generations, in 1987 they became producers of estate bottled Douro wines. They are founding members of the Independent Wine Growers Association and the only vintner to be awarded the "Producer of the Year" twice (1999, 2006) by Revista de Vinhos, Portugal’s prestigious wine magazine.
Their vines are grown on five Quintas covering 110 hectares – Gaivosa, Vale da Raposa, Caldas, Estação and Aveleira. This diversity of terroir, slope, microclimate and grape varieties provide the raw material for a wonderfully diverse range of wines including whites, roses, red wines and Port.
In a remarkably short period of time their efforts to produce excellent wines have been recognized by the wine trade in the U.S. As Robert Parker noted when he tasted at the estate "their lineup included some of the most enjoyable wines I reviewed."

Kolheita de Ideias is a high-quality, small-scale negociant operation established in 2001 with the vision to construct great wines. The three “young Turks:” Luís Soares Duarte, Francisco Ferreira and Rui Moreira purchase grapes from the three different Douro regions to produce three wines: Kolheita, K and esboço. The most impressive, the Kolheita, is only produced in the best years and is in a modern mold, with multi-layered spicy fruit and toasty oak with luscious texture
With a strong background in viticulture, this team is working closely with the growers to ensure the best the vintage has to offer. This is another example of the collaborative movement that is striving to make the very best wines that the terroir will permit. This movement was well described in the Wine Anorak: "The fact that there’s so much cooperation and cross-fertilization between people who are technically competitors is extremely encouraging, and bodes well for the future". We agree and we think the best is yet to come from the Douro.

Margarida Serodio Borges is producing some exceptional red wines from these two Quintas that she and her brother, Jorge Borges, inherited from their Grandfather in the early ‘90’s. Fojo wines reflect the new wave of winemaking that is sweeping through the Douro and grabbing the attention of serious wine drinkers. They inherited old, low yielding vines and rely on traditional foot treading and fermentation in old concrete lagares to produce saturated, complex wines. The results are outstanding and the wines demand cellaring before drinking. Margarida also produces a second label, Vinha do Fojo, which tends to be more approachable earlier on.
The Wine Spectator gave the 2000 Quinta do Fojo 94 Points, calling it “massive and muscular”. The Wine Advocate gave it 95 points, describing it as “Simply beautiful. This deep red wine from the Douro region is tannic and layered; full of complexity ……This is a wine for a serious collector”.

Located in Peso da Régua, the capital of Douro, Quinta do Judeu is the result of a family passion for wine, the Douro and Portugal. The Carvalho family has owned Quinta do Judeu since 1932; Manuel Carvalho (known as Manuel do Talho) and his wife Maria da Gloria were respected and admired traders in Peso da Régua.
With their recently renewed and modernized estate, the Carvalho family remains committed to producing wines that express the Douro and Portugal. Between their two estates: Corgo and Covelinhas, the Quintas produce three brands: the Corgo da Régua, Manuel do Talho, and Quinta do Judeu.

The Bergqvist family have been making port since 1815. Quinta de la Rosa was given as a christening present for Claire Feuheerd, Sophia’s grandmother in 1906. The family port shipping company, Feuheerd, was sold in the 1930’s, but Quinta de la Rosa was kept and run by Sophia’s grandmother, Claire. In 1988, Sophia and her father, Tim Bergqvist, re-launched Quinta de la Rosa as a top-quality port producer. In the early 1990,s, they pioneered quality red wine production in the Douro region from their estate grown fruit. Quinta de la Rosa has subsequently won acclaim for its red wine as well as its ports with accolades from the wine press and placements in many prestigious restaurants and wine store around the world. For the last 5 years, Quinta de la Rosa has expanded their red wine production to another label, Vale da Clara, which is produced from grapes carefully selected from nearby properties. Vale da Clara wines differ distinctly from the La Rosa wine they produce by being more fruit forward and less oak flavours.

History, culture, tradition and innovation are very much interwoven at this Quinta. The owners are descended from the poet Guerra Junqueiro who inherited 25 acres planted within the International Douro National Park. This land is typical of the Douro – stony, barren and fit only for grapes. The vines used for the white wine are over 100 years old.
All work is performed by hand and low-input viticulture practices to minimize the environmental impact. Production began in 2004 under the guidance of winemaker Jorge Borges. Acclaim for his wines has not been slow in coming – praise for his white wine has been particularly high, and some regard it as one of the best whites produced in Portugal.

Perfectly situated just above the Douro River and overlooking Régua, the house and its grounds are simply spectacular and the quality of the wine produced is first rate as well. Constructed in the 17th Century, the Costas Seixas family has maintained ownership through the generations.
The winemaker, Anselmo Mendes, is regarded as one of the best in Portugal and was awarded “Oenologist of the Year” in 1997 by “Revista de Vihnos”. Together with the owner, Eduardo da Costa Seixas, formerly the chief taster and blender at Sandeman, they craft wines that are marked by their structure, density of color and complex aromas. We encourage you to try the wines and if you ever visit this area, be sure to stay at the estate.

This exciting new negociant operation is another example of the collaboration between winemakers that is taking place in the Douro. VT is directed by José Maria Calem (of the Calem Port Family), Jorge Serôdio Borges (co-owner and producer of Pintas) and Cristiano Van Zeller (owner and producer of Quinta Vale Dona Maria). They have pooled their skills, talent and resources to create a contemporary red wine that expresses the Douro’s diversity of grounds, grapes and expositions. With twenty generations linked to both the Douro and Port shipping, this team has honed their commercial and oenological skills to offer a full range of tastes native to this region.
Here’s what one English wine writer had to say about their first release, the ’04: “This first vintage is a blend of Portuguese varietals and has a youthful opaque purple color highly concentrated blackberry fruit and notes of violets and toasty oak. Modern in style, it has excellent structure, round ripe tannins and a long finish. This is another terrific wine from the Douro”.

Famous Douro boy, Christiano Van Zellar started Quinta do Vale Dona Maria in 1996 after having acquired the amazing property from his wife Joanna's family. This old-vine vineyard, located in the Rio Torto Valley in the heart of the Douro Demarcated Region, has limitless potential and is producing wines of concentration and complexity. Their efforts are about innovation. Their wines are about personality, character, excitement, pleasure, fun, reliability, innovation, people, and life. A small and dedicated team of viticulturists and winemakers - Sandra Tavares da Silva, Franscisco Olazábal and Christiano Van Zeller- produce a range of Port and Douro Reds, a complete line-up whose individual style speaks to the best the Douro has to offer.

Cortes de Cima is a family owned and run vineyard and winery located in Alentejo, Southern Portugal. Capturing the abundant Alentejan sunshine, the motto is ÒLife is too short to make bad wine!Ó The wines are gutsy, full bodied reds with lots of sunshine in every bottle.
ÒOur wines combine the best New World techniques and technology with the flavors that come from well-ripened Portuguese grapes. Powerful concentrated fruit is backed by fine integrated French and American oak and balanced by ripe, smooth tannins. Although ready to drink on release, our wines will continue to develop well and improve in the bottle.Ó
Incognito 2005, winner of 2 Gold medals, (including a Best of Class), and placed 3rd of Top Ten Portuguese wine magazine, Blue. ÒExtremely powerful but elegant palate with an intense core of dark stone fruits, well worked oak, ripe but firm tannins giving structure and balanceÓ, winemakerÕs comments.

This thoroughly modern estate has done a great deal to put Alentejo wines on the map. Esporão is an excellent example of what Portugal can produce given capital, leadership and fine winemaking expertise.
The estate began once the land was reclaimed from the “workers” in 1979. The expansive, cavernous cellers were built in 1987 and the facilities were greatly expanded in ’95 when a large dam was constructed to provide regular irrigation.
Under the stewardship of “Aussie” winemaker David Baverstock, this estate has gone from strength to strength. Its wine making operations are truly impressive. They include two separate vinification lines: one for the higher volume table wines, and the second for the higher quality wines. David continues to add wines to the portfolio; his newly introduced Garrafeira (aged for two years in oak barrels) is clear evidence of the caliber of his winemaking skills.
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For winery & vineyard information, plus tasting & technical notes & accolades, please see: www-en.esporao.com

This estate is producing some great wines – its Reserva 2006 won the “Best Wine of Alentejo” by the Oenologist Union of Alentejo. Luis Duarte, also of Monte dos Cabaços, crafts wines that demand your attention.
The success achieved here in a relatively short period of time is remarkable. Some 75 hectares of the 1500 acre estate are given over to vineyards. They began planting Alicante Bouchet, Syrah, Touriga Nacional and some Trincadeira back in 2002. More unusual red varieties such as Zinfandel, San Giovese, Negra Mole and Tinta Miuda, plus some whites like Semillion, Antão Vaz, Verdelho and Alvarinho were planted a little later.
Herdade dos Grous is not just about making great wine, it is also a working farm, albeit on a grand scale. The estate champions organic farming, with fruit, vegetables and herbs lovingly cultivated in wide-open orchards or under greenhouses. Visitors can stay in the peace and tranquilty of an elegant five star hotel to also be found on the estate.

Mouchão has been owned by the Reynolds family since the mid-19th century, when Thomas Reynolds set out south from Porto to the Alentejo in search of a cork estate. He found Mouchão, all 900 hectares of it. Even today the estate is mostly cork grove, with a bit of vineyard - although its the wine that it is known for.
This estate is unusual in several aspects: it uses a very high percentage (80% or more) of the Alicante Bouschet grape (most other producers use this as a blending grape) and it maintains a curious collaboration between modern complex trellising in the vineyard and very traditional wine making techniques including foot treading in granite lagares.
The results are spectacular. They produce powerful, well-structured red wines that demand cellaring to round out and mature. As Richard Mayson writes in his encyclopedia, The Wines and Vineyards of Portugal, “Mouchão is undoubtedly one of Portugal’s most impressive red wines”. They also bottle wines under a second label, Dom Rafael, for both white and red wines that are suitable for drinking earlier.

Many people discover this very appealing red wine when dining at Margarida’s lovely award winning restaurant, São Rosas, located near the top of the hill in the town of Estremoz. I know we did! In addition to running the restaurant and winemaking, Margarida also found the time to publish a cookbook with her recipes – unfortunately it has not been translated into English yet.
They are becoming well known for their red blend which is an unusual combination of Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Touriga Nacional and Alicante Bouschet. Their wine consultant, Luis Duarte, was “Wine Maker of the Year” in Vinhos Magazine, ’06 and these wines have been favorably reviewed by winewriters.
The 2002 Monte dos Cabaços “has a ton of appealing berry fruit in a lush, silky package that's very easy to drink,” Stephen Tanzer.

Casa de Cello exemplifies what can be so exciting about Portuguese wines today and how much they have improved. Under the careful stewardship of João Pedro Araujo, this estate, which is situated in the heart of Vinho Verde, combines careful stewardship of the land with modern wine making practices to produce some of the regions most appealing white wines.
This estate produces wonderfully fresh crisp white wines under the Quinta de San Joanne label and full bodied reds under the Quinta da Vegia label from the Dão. The Vinho Verde was listed on “the best wines of the region” by Vinhos magazine in ’07. The Wine Advocate said that “the nose is simply beautiful, just what you want from this type of wine,” and gave the ’03 Eschola Branco 91 points; “The finish is the best part, lingering, long and delicious. This is a wine that can grow on you”.

Considered by many to be one of the top Bairrada estates, the youthful Mário Sérgio Alves Nuno founded Quinta das Bageiras in 1990. He owns some 28 hectares, split between white and red varieties. This very traditional property produces a full range including sparkling, white, red and spirits.
The focus of the Quinta’s production is traditional method sparkling wines made from predominantly Maria Gomez and Bical. Baga, the red grape of Bairrada, is well presented in the Colheita and Garrafeira. Quinta das Bageiras produces wines of very distinct character and flavor profile; these wines are sure to make an impression on you!

Named after the distinctive sail boats that plied the stately river Targus, before the railroad and highways arrived, this ultra modern winery was built by J. Portugal Ramos in 2004. Buying grapes from local producers they produce a variety of red wines using mostly a blend Touriga Nacional, Aragonêz (Tempranillo), Cabernet Sauvignon and Trincadeira.
Their “Reserva” is one of the best value red wines available from Portugal today. The Wine Enthusiast gave the 2001 Reserva 91 Points, and said “An impressive wine, packed with serious, dark, intense and concentrated fruits, and dusty tannins. Spices, dried fruits, vanilla and herbs are all there, giving a complex blend that would benefit from 5+ years’ bottle aging. Beautifully crafted.”