Exploring the Douro
7/26/23 -
In preparing to write this piece about the wines of the Douro Valley, I figured I'd brush up on the background, and quickly realized that the story of unfortified wines in the region is essentially a very recent one. Considering the fact that independent estates in the Douro valley were only able to make and bottle their own wines starting in the 1980s, I have come to fully value and respect the work of the handful of producers who are trying not to "redefine" a region, but to define it in the here and now. They are writing the story as they go, and we're excited about the chapters that are still to come!
The prologue to our story bring us to Roman times when the area was first cultivated with vines, but most importantly in terms of viticulture, the work of Cistercian monks starting around the 12th Century. The emperor of Leon gifted the county (not country yet!) of Portugal to Henry of Burgundy in the end of the 11th century, and Henry's son Afonso eventually became the first king of Portugal. Afonso's tutor and advisor was integral in inviting the Cistercian order and helping to build several monasteries, partly because it gave legitimacy to the new state in the eye of the Pope, but also because the family was from the Dukedom of Burgundy, so it effectively brought a little taste of home to this far away land. The monks also brought a little taste of their vineyard wizardry, and created the famous terraces on the schist slopes of the Douro valley, developing an incredibly mineral rich and visually stunning terrain (the area is a UNESCO World Heritage Site) and setting the stage for emergence and explosion of the Port wine industry.
Evidence is clear that monks in Portugal in the Douro Valley were making a wine using grape brandy during fermentation in order to preserve some sweetness from the juice. This also made the wines more suitable for aging (in times before the modern wine bottle) and coincidentally, more suitable for travel. There were many dry, unfortified wines produced as well, but they don't seem to have reached the outside world. The sweet style wines were already served at court and among nobility in Portugal, and shipping documents show that English merchants began importing in the 1650s, with quantities multiplying during conflicts between England and France (due to English embargos on French imports). This moment in the mid to late 17th Century is seen as the beginnning of the Port story, chronicling a booming industry of wine heading down the Douro to Porto, and out to the world. Wine would be sent down the river, mostly from the section known now as Cima Corgo, the heart of the production and vineyards of the Douro, before reaching houses that bottled and shipped out of Porto. In fact many of the shippers were based in Vila Nova de Gaia, across the Douro river from Porto, in order to avoid paying taxes to the Bishop of Porto. Most of these Port shipping houses were British, some Dutch, with smatterings from other countries. When the vine louse Phyloxera hit western Europe, the devastation was felt in the Douro in the mid-to-late 1800's and many farmers ended up selling their vineyards to the Port houses. When production finally restarted, the system of contracts for farmers with the shipping center in Porto was fully solidified. From the 1930s through the 1970s the Salazar dictatorship implemented legislation that favored large co-ops over independent producers, which led to a decline in quality and a debilitating blow to the local winemakers who hoped to break out of the Port system. It was not until the 1980s, when Portugal joined the E.U., that winemakers were able to produce and bottle wine at their Quintas, and export out of Portugal!
Throughout all of this backstory, the only wine from the Douro that the world knew was a fortified wine called Port. There is generally no recognition of a dry wine coming from the region until the 1980s (with the exception of the famous Barca Velha - more on that later), as there were restrictive laws against estate bottling or exporting anything but Port wine from the Douro. Of course people made dry wines for consumption at home, but this was simply a local custom and not an export (but as we know, not by choice). Many people worked quite hard to develop and raise the image of Douro wines in the first decades after these changes to Port production laws in the 80s, and that labor is now coming to fruition as new generations are adapting and changing their family wineries, local winemakers are sourcing from tiny rugged plots on steep, schist slopes, or attempting to recuperate or plant vineyards on prized terroir, and the diversity of styles and expressions emerging from the region is increasing.
Today's run-down will just touch on a few projects and estates that have been on our radar lately, but obviously I've gone down the rabbit hole with my research and I have to try more independent Douro wines now! We'll have to do a second round. I'll be asking João Roseira from Quinta do Infantado for some tips!
Speaking of João, it seems only right to start with Quinta do Infantado, as João's family estate was the first to break out of the contractual system (selling wine or fruit to the shippers in Vila Nova de Gaia) in 1979, and produce only estate-bottled wines. This was unheard of, and was considered crazy, as there were laws against exporting estate-bottled wine, so their only market would be in Portugal, but it seems that it was a move made out of pride for their vineyards and the high quality of their wines. It's notable now, and in many ways the decision of Quinta do Infantado was the first sign of changes to come. Though the winery is primarly focused on production of estate-bottled Ports, João has produced many compelling Douro reds from family vineyards, including one from an organic certified plot that he planted in '98. His role in the Douro story is undeniably an important one, and he has looked beyond the region in his attempts to nurture up-and-coming independent producers from across the country.
Another person with links to early changes to Port's dominance in the region is Mateus Nicolau de Almeida, whose grandfather first produced the famous Barca Velha wine in 1952, after spending time in Bordeaux and developing relationships with French winemakers. The wine was a dry red produced from the family's vineyards in the Douro Superior. This area, closest to the Spanish border, is higher in altitude, drier, and hotter than other sections of the valley, but is now considered to be home to some of the best vineyards in the Douro. Barca Velha was legendary, and was made again several times, all in all 18 times since 1952, though I have to assume it was not sold outside of Portugal before the 80s. Mateus Nicolau has followed in his grandfather's footsteps by working on many projects aimed to highlight the potential of dry wines from the region. His newest project, Trans-Douro Express, focuses on dry wines from the three regions of the Douro: Douro Superior, Cima Corgo, and Baixo Corgo, with the goal of showcasing how the micro-climates and soils can influence red and white wines from the Douro.
Before starting the Trans-Douro Express project, Mateus fonded the Muxagat winery in 2002, with winemaker Eduardo Lopes. Susana Lopes, the second generation at Muxagat, has been running the project now since around 2015, with some consultation from her friend Luis Seabra and oenologist Ana Sofia Silva. The wines from Muxagat are soulful, and express the unique spot in the Douro Superior where higher altitude granitic sites contrast with schist and quartz found in lower vineyards. We've been impressed with the wines so far and look forward to trying more bottlings from Susana!
Then there's mister Luis Seabra himself! Luis is a personal friend, and a stoic and warm-hearted winemaker who cut his teeth at Niepoort for over a decade before embarking on his own project to showcase the immense potential of the Douro for producing high quality red and white wines. Luis brings a terroir-driven approach to his winemaking, with focus going to soil type (yellow schist – or, “xisto” – a high-acid, crystalline soil) and climate. Nestled in the hills of the subregion Cima Corgo, almost 2,000 feet above sea-level, Luis farms his vineyards with minimal intervention, respecting the mineral-filled soil above all else. His vines, co-planted red and white varieties (naturally) see a drastic temperature change from day to night, leading to an extended maturation on the vine. Luis is calm, good-natured, and I would venture to say patient. I only posit this because it must require a certain amount of patience to be involved in something so special and unique that the wine world knows so little about. Don't worry Luis! The times they are a changin.
Last but not least, there's Quinta do Javali, run by António Mendes, whom we had the pleasure of meeting and hosting for an in-store tasting earlier this year.
Located in Cima Corgo subregion, the Quinta is situated on steep schist slopes and the land has been planted to vines since the 1650s. António has made great steps to convert the estate to organic and Biodynamic farming, and is embracing a bit of the natural wine vibes that are spreading through Portugal, while also bottling vineyard specific wines that are exquisite, earthy and elegant. The red grapes are mostly Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Tinto Cão, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca and Sousão, and whites grapes are mostly Arinto and Viosinho, though it is common to find many other varieities mixed in the vineyards. António is a very open-minded and passionate winemaker who clearly has set no limits for the Quinta do Javali, and treats each vintage as another opportunity to experiment with new wines, and explore the potential of the Douro.
As previously mentioned, we will most definitely be doubling our efforts to discover more exceptional wines from the Douro Valley, so stay tuned for Part Two!
-Eben Lillie
