CASA DO VALLE

  Colares Wines are unique for various reasons:     They are some of the oldest wines in Portugal, dating back to year 1255 A large part of the vines grow deep in sand dunes – a detail that protected them from the 1865 phylloxera plague  They get their special taste from the harsh coastal climate (westernmost vineyards of continental Europe) And most recently: the world famous chef Gordon Ramsay just featured the Colares Wines in the National Geographic program Uncharted, calling the wine ‘one of the best kept secrets of Portugal' (Watch the trailer here ) ! Colares wines are some of the oldest wines in Portugal The Colares wine region is the smallest demarcated wine region of Portugal (DOC Colares).  The wine culture goes back to 1255 when king D Afonso lll ordered wine to be planted.  Supposedly the Ramisco vines came from northern France, Boulogne region, where the king had previously lived.  A large part of the Colares vines are grown in the sand ...

At the of May I had the pleasure to visit the vineyeard Casal Sta Maria in our beach region, Colares - the Westernmost Vineyards of Europe.  Between Almoçageme and Casas Novas, Penedo, sits the main house, originally from 1720, and its beautiful gardens. I was very well received by the enologist António Figueiredo who gave us a tour and explained the origins of the vineyards. Now, I quote directly from their bochure for a moment to resite the story of Baron Bruemmer, the 102 year old man who is still in charge of the operations: "To understand me better and why I came to Portugal one must understand a little bit about the reasons. I  was born in 1911 in one of the former Baltic Russian Provinces, Livonia. In 1918 we had to flee to Germany and then to different places all over the World. I went to 15 different schools and, finally I landed in Switzerland, where I developed my professional life. Ever since we lost our home it had been my dream to start a new tradition f...

Many of our clients are surprised by the wine lists of the local restaurants: in addition to the division of 'Reds' and 'Whites' there are the 'Greens'. The Reds and the Whites then are divided into the wine regions; Greens, if divided at all, may be divided into Green Whites or Green Reds. So what are the Green wines, the Vinho Verdes? The most known Greens are white, but there are reds as well. They are best served chilled and make a great aperitif - and go very well with fish, seafood, salads, white meats, sushi, sashimi - and are great drink on a hot summer day. As their alcohol content is lower than that of the other wines (8-11,5%), so is their calory amount, and this makes it an 'easily drinkable' wine. Vinho Verde has great digestive properties due to its freshness and special qualities. The reds are full-bodied wines with an intense colour and a rosy or lig ht red foam. The whites usually present a lemony or straw colour. The strong disti...