Douro wines 257wine on the hoof, João studied oenology at Bordeaux University and joined the family
Port shipper Ramos Pinto in 1976 (see profile on page 66). Sometimes betraying the
countenance of an eccentric professor, João Nicolau de Almeida has an insatiable thirst for
experimentation, having been one of the principal brains behind the Douro’s red varietal
breakthrough in the early 1980s. Nicolau de Almeida has turned his attention to white
varietals like Viosinho, Gouveio and Rabigato. Benefitting from growing at an altitude of 600
metres, Bons Ares is a crisp blend of local white varietals lifted by a little grassy Sauvignon
Blanc. A red from the same property combines Touriga Nacional with Cabernet Sauvignon.
Both wines are classified under the far from snappy Vinho Regional Duriense. The Douro is
represented by the red Duas Quintas. It combines the fruit of two very different properties
(hence the name ‘Two Quintas’). The wild and remote Quinta da Ervamoira in the Douro
Superior provides the ballast and richness which is offset by lighter, more elegant wines
from Quinta dos Bons Ares. Duas Quintas has established a good track record as a supple,
balanced Douro red which even performs well in weaker years. It is reinforced by a Reserva,
made mainly from Touriga Nacional, which manages to capture a hint of the New World
with its intensely ripe, almost minty fruit and ripe but dense tannic structure.
Duas Quintas Reserva Especial is the product of old, interplanted vines at Quinta do
Bom Retiro in the lower reaches of the Rio Torto. This was made for the first time in 1999
when, after twenty years developing new wines, João Nicolau de Almeida felt the need to
reinvent the traditional way of producing wine in the Douro. Reserva Especial spends a
week fermenting in lagar before spending eighteen months ageing in used oak ‘to let the
fruit talk’. Actually the fruit sings. With a massively rich, Port-like nose, a hint of esteva,
eucalyptus and velvety concentration, this wine is the very essence of the Douro.
Real companhia Velha
Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro, SA
Rua azevedo Magalhães, 314, apartado 22, 4431-952 Vila nova de Gaia
tel. (351) 223 775 100
http://www.realcompanhiavelha.pt
Real Compania Velha (also known as Real Vinicola) has the longest continuous history of any
of today’s producers of Douro wines. Founded in 1889 under contract with the Portuguese
government, it was entrusted with the task of selling wines from various regions in northern
Portugal. With brands spanning Vinho Verde, Bairrada and Dão and a decidedly patchy record
in the 1980s, Real Vinicola is concentrating on wines from the Douro. In 1996 Real Vinicola
created a Fine Wine Division accompanying this with a substantial revamp of its huge adega
at Granja near Alijó. Under the combined direction of Pedro da Silva Reis and Californian
winemaker Jerry Luper, Real Vinicola has produced some impressive and innovative Douro
wines. White wines made from Douro varieties grown on the planalto around Alijó are fresh,
clean and aromatic without being anything to write home about in an international context.
The exception, however, is the white Quinta do Cidrô made from low-yielding Chardonnay
planted at the eponymous C/D-rated quinta near São João de Pesqueira. Fermented and aged
in new Portuguese oak, it combines a richly textured concentration of flavour with unusually