Port Harvest Tour

Day 1 – Sunday

Quevedo Lodge

After a good night’s sleep, I got up, ate breakfast in the hotel restaurant and headed over to meet some of the other tour participants at the Quevedo Port Lodge since the tour didn’t officially start until the afternoon.

We’ve known Oscar Quevedo for many years, so it was great to see him again at their Lodge in Vila Nova da Gaia. I also had the opportunity to meet many of the people that I’d be spending the next week with exploring the wines of the Douro Valley.

Quevedo 20 Year Old Tawny Port –  Bottled in 2014. Blend of 1974, 1992 and 1996. Amber in color with a pink hue. Nuts and a little spirit on the nose. Butterscotch on the palate with good acidity. Great, unctuous full body. Very long finish. Excellent 20-year-old from Oscar. 93 points. 9/27/2015

Quevedo 30 Year Old White Port – Bottled in 2015. Very clear, golden in color. Some tropical fruit and some pine resin on the nose. Unctuous mouthfeel. Honey with some underlying sea salt on the palate. Long finish. 91 points. 9/27/2015    

Quevedo 40 Year Old Tawny Port – Bottled in 2015. Amber-orange in color. Tangerine peel with some cigar box on the nose. Extremely full-bodied. Incredible intensity of orange spice, pralines and great acidity on the palate. Flavors expand on the palate, leading to a very long, smooth, unctuous finish. 94 points. 9/27/2015

1994 Quevedo Colheita Port – Bottled in 2014. This isn’t being bottled for several years. Ruby in color. Served a little chilled so the nose is a bit subdued. Red fruit notes on the palate with an unctuous mouthfeel. Tannins appear on the mid-palate, leading to a finish highlighted by a nice touch of cinnamon. 90 points. 9/27/2015

2011 Quevedo Late Bottled Vintage Port – Dark purple in color. Opaque, with slight transparency on the edges. Still some primary fruit (blueberry and cassis) on the nose. The palate has noticeable tannins, with Blackberry and Plum notes. Long, well-structured finish. This is a well-integrated LBV with a great flavor profile. 91 points. 9/27/2015

2007 Quevedo Vintage Port – Dark, uniform purple in color. Blueberry and cassis on the nose. Fresh black currant and blueberry also on the palate, giving way to great structured mid-palate. Great balance and finish. An elegant drinker! 93 points. 9/27/2015

2013 Quevedo Quinta Vale D’Agodinho Vintage Port – Vibrant garnet in color. Primary dark fruit on the nose. Intense blueberry and pronounced tannins on the palate. This definitely needs some time in bottle but is promising. 90 points. 9/27/2015

After we said goodbye to Oscar, we returned to the lobby of the hotel in the early afternoon to meet up with Roy, Mario and the few other tour participants that weren’t able to join us at Quevedo. We all assembled in the lobby of the hotel for official introductions and some Q&A.

Besides Roy, Mario and I, joining us on the tour were a great group of people who were knowledgeable wine and Port drinkers, and – as I would learn – a lot of fun to just hang out with:

• Harry Trachtenberg – Boca Raton, FL
• Mark Serrano – Boca Raton, FL
• Peter Skov – Stouby, Denmark
• Lisa Stevens & Vic Wertz – North Bend, WA
• David Perry – Hong Kong, China
• Randy & Cris Katz – Atlanta, GA
• Heidi Hoffmann Berthelsen – Hinnerup, Denmark
• Jan Bajlum Hansen – Hinnerup, Denmark
• David Spriggs – Boulder Creek, CA

We all piled into the minibus and headed out to the Vinho Verde region about two hours Northeast of Porto to visit one of the hallmark producers of Alvarinho wines, Quinta de Soalheiro. Quinta de Soalheiro is located in Melgaço, which is the most Northern point of Portugal. They are so close to the Spanish border that from their terrace a good golf shot might stand a chance of landing in Spain!

Quinta de Soalheiro

João Antonio Cerdeira planted the first Alvarinho vines on the property in 1974, and in 1982 released his first wines under the brand “Soalheiro.” In 1994, João’s son, Luís Cerdeira, took over the winemaking for Quinta de Soalheiro, and it was Luis who would be our guide for the day.

2014 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho Vinho Verde White – Light straw in color. Very clear. Tropical fruit and some minerality on the nose. Full body with peach and some buttery textures on the palate. Crisp acidity and long finish. 90 points. 9/27/2015

2014 Quinta de Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas Alvarinho Vinho Verde White – Organically grown grapes, hand-harvested from over 30 year old vines. Very light straw in color. 15% was aged oak, 85% aged in stainless steel. Subtle nose with some light tropical fruit, but the 15% oak-aged portion really eliminates the minerality that was present on the nose of the “classic” (non-oaked) version of this wine. Some peach and lychee notes on the palate. Creamy texture, well-integrated flavor profile that evolves on the palate. 92 points. 9/27/2015

2014 Quinta de Soalheiro Reserva Alvarinho Vinho Verde White – Medium-straw in color with good clarity. Granite and ripe tropical fruit on the nose. Deep, unctuous tropical fruit on the full-bodied palate. Long finish with great acidity. 9/27/2015

2001 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho Vinho Verde White – Golden in color. Some petrol notes reminiscent of some greener wines. Rich, unctuous and complex with tropical fruit and some complex honey notes on the palate. 93 points. 9/27/2015 

2014 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho Terramatter Vinho Verde White – Made with organically grown Alvarinho grapes. 11.5% alcohol. Unfiltered. Crisp minerality and a touch of mint on the nose. Buttery flavor profile with lychee and a touch of pear on the palate. Zero residual sugar on this wine since there is yeast in the bottle, making it a much dryer style of wine. 89 points. 9/27/2015

 Quinta de Soalheiro Vinho Verde Bruto Rosé Sprakling – Salmon pink in color. Made from 30% red grapes (Alvarelhao & Touriga Nacional) and 70% Alvarino (white grapes). 12.5% alcohol. (NR) 9/27/2015

Quinta de Soalheiro Velha Alvarinho Aguardente –  This aguardiente spent 20 years in barrel. Amber in color. Aged in alternating new and used oak barrels. 45.8% alcohol.  89 points. 9/27/2015

Ponte de Lima

After we thanked Luis for his hospitality and said our goodbyes, we headed to the oldest village in Portugal, Ponte de Lima. This village in the Northwest corner of Portugal dates back to 1125, when Teresa, Countess of Portugal, signed the town’s charter. In the 14th Century, Pedro I (1320-1367), recognizing the strategic importance of the town, ordered walls and nine towers built around the town (two of the towers remain standing).

The dominant landmark is the Ponte de Lima Bridge, which until the Middle Ages was the only place to cross the Lima River. The original bridge was built by the Romans during the time of Emperor Augustus (63 BC – 14 AD). The bridge was added to and modified through the Middle Ages, possibly to accommodate the shifting course of the Lima River.

The current bridge began construction during the reign of King Denis, and is believed to have been completed sometime around 1386. The bridge is an impressive 300 meters long, though only 4 meters wide, making it the perfect place for a picturesque pedestrian stroll.

The Church of Santo António da Torre Vellha, which was built in the 19th Century, stands at the far end of the bridge.

After admiring the bridge, town square, and an amazing sunset, we took a short walk to A Tulha, a casual restaurant near the town square.

The first thing that we noticed when we walked in was that there was already a large group of people sitting at the “family-style” tables in the restaurant. The owner came over and explained that there was a group of doctors who were attending some type of conference and were meeting to….read poetry….

The owner graciously sat us all down at the end of one of the long tables and started pouring us wine. As the food began to be served, one of the doctors stood up and welcomed his colleagues, and then began reciting poetry in Portuguese. Few of us knew what he was saying, but as a former College English Professor who studied my share of poetry, the emotion in his voice and his forceful delivery was enough to impress me. As the evening went on, and more doctors stood up and recited poetry, somehow word got around that the “FTLOP Resident Poet” was present, and pretty soon the doctors – and my FTLOP friends (thanks a LOT, guys!) were urging me to recite something. I must admit, I was a little thrown off by the request, but managed to stand up and recite a short poem that I wrote many years ago.

I smiled and sat down to thunderous applause (well, at least it sounded thunderous…) and ended the first day of the 2015 FTLOP Harvest, reciting poetry to Portuguese Doctor-Poets in the oldest village in Portugal. Not a bad way to kick things off.

As the evening went on, and more doctors stood up and recited poetry, somehow word got around that the “FTLOP Resident Poet” was present, and pretty soon the doctors – and my FTLOP friends (thanks a LOT, guys!) were urging me to recite something. I must admit, I was a little thrown off by the request, but managed to stand up and recite a short poem that I wrote many years ago.

I smiled and sat down to thunderous applause (well, at least it sounded thunderous…) and ended the first day of the 2015 FTLOP Harvest, reciting poetry to Portuguese Doctor-Poets in the oldest village in Portugal. Not a bad way to kick things off.