Wine trip to Portugal

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From Portugal, also award-winning Red next to the famous port wine and white wines – this attracts tourists. More and more winemakers to benefit from wine tourism. Also in the Dão, one of the oldest wine in Portugal, areas.

“Wine is a tough business,” says Lígia Santos and gives your guests a glass of a white wine: “The cycle is insanely long. Wine we plant now, we sell for many years.” To weather fluctuations and plant diseases. However, it runs pretty good for the 32-Year-old and her family: Since 2012, you operate the winery, Quinta da Teixuga in the Dão, a renowned wine region in the North of Portugal.

Lígia Santos has actually studied law. Today, she travels for the sales of their wines through the world

As most of the farmers in the Dão also Lígias grandpa managed several small vineyards for personal consumption. Today, the Quinta da Teixuga with 30 hectares of White and red wine vines, is one of the largest wineries in the Region.

The white wine made from the grape variety “Encruzado” of 2017 has a pale yellow color, tastes light and fruity, a little lemon. “The best white wine grapes in Portugal are growing,” says Lígia. The vintners from other wine regions such as Vinho Verde and Douro would disagree. “We always argue, where the best white wine is coming,” says Lígia, laughing: “most of the time we will win!”

Innovative combination: wine and architecture

Wines from the Quinta da Teixuga also in China and Brazil well

Through the vines concrete grey lights up in the 2017-constructed building of the winery. The unusual shape is inspired from the families Logo, a double-cross. “Caminhos Cruzados”, the cross roads is the Name under which the family marketed their wines.

Clear and functional: In the Store, the wines play the main role – and the views of the vines in front of the window

In building the production line, wine cellar, laboratory, offices, and a sales shop. Glazing and sight lines, connecting the levels with each other: a modern, open architecture, energy-efficient, and to the claims of the wine-making adapted. Cost to have the Whole 1.2 million euros. But the business goes well, says Lidia, their wines are also popular in foreign countries, in Brazil and China, for example: “In two years, we have the out of it.”

Wine tourism: travel for rush and grape juice

In wine tourism, the family-owned company, sees a Chance, also there should be a specific architecture: “We had 2000 visitors last year,” says Lígia. Guests can book guided tours, wine tasting or the Workshop “winemaker for a day”. Under the guidance of you mix your Lieblingscuvée from different wines.

With a Pipette, measuring Cup, and log visitors in the Workshop, to the Oenologist to be

The wine is for many a reason to travel to Portugal. The most famous of which is mostly red, more rarely, white port wine, named after the port city of Porto. Also the Vinho Verde from the North of Portugal has achieved an international reputation. In addition, Portugal offers a variety of wines: More than 500 native grape varieties grow here, where the red predominates. Almost everywhere in the country there are vineyards and there are more and more, as well as the tourist services related to wine, the so-called Enotourism.

It was always rebuilt and expanded the Cathedral, Sé de Viseu

Who is on a wine tour in the Region of Dão to Viseu, once the most livable city in Portugal named. Viseu is a good starting point for exploring nearby wineries. There is a pretty, winding old town, lots of Street Art and an impressive Cathedral from the middle ages.

To eat why good wine bad?

And, since 2018, an event on the wines of the Region in the scene to be set: The “Estrela à Mesa” is a three-day Street Food Festival as part of the annual wine festival. The special: Here star cooks small portions cooking at low prices. To do this, you serve up regional wines and chat with the guests.

Fine Dining on the road: courts of Diogo Rocha, the cook otherwise in the Nobel restaurant “Mesa de Lemos”

Ten high-profile chefs from different regions of Portugal, from the Netherlands, gathered on the market square of the city of 100,000 residents: If this is not a culinary Region, what then?

Viseu and the wine region of Dão are surrounded by mountains, from the harsh influences of the Atlantic to protect. Rainy Winter, hot summer and a long cool autumn time are perfect for viticulture. In the Dão, there are 20,000 acres of vineyards, many of which are very old, as well as the associated gentlemen and country houses.

Fly in for dinner

On the outskirts of the village of Santar, 15 km from Viseu, cultivated mountains, the company “Global Wines” 107 hectares of vineyard, for the greater part of it grows here, red wine. A restored manor house from the 17. Century is one of the lands; with a shop, guest rooms and Restaurant “Paço dos Cunhas”. The fine cuisine is to bring the wine to the fore.

The winery of “Global Wines” in Santar: – style dining in historic walls

The Restaurant is filled to the last table. Among the guests were tourists from the USA, Germany and Spain. “We use wine tourism to promote our brand”, says Ana Teixeira, who is responsible for the public Relations of Global Wines. 5000 tourists in the year to the winery to Santar.

For each course on the menu, of course, passed – – matching wine. The main course this evening: veal with yellow carrots and red wine sauce, nicely decorated, without Froth, and Chi-Chi, down-to-earth and yet very fine.

For this purpose, a red wine from this historic grape variety “Touriga Nacional”, one of the best in the Region. “Some of the guests coming all the way from Lisbon, flew to eat well. And then they fly back,” says Ana.

Wine according to the moon calendar

So luxurious it is not at the winery by Sara Dionisio. She and her husband make organic and biodynamic wine and are Demeter-certified producer. So you are the only one in the Dão in Portugal, there are nearly ten. In the Region of Dão, they produce about 100,000 bottles of wine per year, five red wines, three white wines and a Rosé.

Winemaker Sara Dionisio: the parents of her husband were wine-growers

“Sometimes we stomp the grapes with the feet, but more for the fun of it,” says Sara: “Then I have a week long purple feet.” Of course, machines. Otherwise the Motto is: minimal Intervention is no use of mineral fertilizer, no pesticides. Instead, cow dung, and horn shavings, chestnut flour instead of wine yeast for the fermentation of compost. Also dynamised water according to the principles of homeopathy for the improvement of the granite-based soil.

The fight against the flames

The wine fields are situated in a landscape with pine trees, oaks and chestnut trees. And Eucalyptus Trees. You are a reason why the fires with which Portugal had to fight in recent years, it’s hard to, as quickly can spread. Eucalyptus burns like tinder, essential Oils in the wood and the leaves act as a fire accelerant. However, it grows quickly and brings the paper industry a lot of money. 2017 burnt several vineyards of Sara and her husband down.

They have planted new vines. And if a fire comes? “We don’t just hope for that to happen. If it is very hot, water we the plant as a precautionary measure,” she says. “But a lot more we can do.”

Happy ending in the wine cellar

“Tours: Hiking and wine are grinning our best seller”, guest leader Manuel Franco: “We walk, I show people the area and at the end we end up in a wine cellar.” He leads a group through the historic village of Linhares da Beira.

The Romanesque-Gothic castle from the 12th century. Century towers over the village

It is located on the border to Spain on the edge of a natural Park and is one of 12 historic villages, which are protected by a programme of the Portuguese government and receive. Most of them had once been of strategic importance to securing the border to Spain.

Linhares was built in the 12. Century established, the way of the pilgrims to pass that once led here. It is located on about 800 meters and meadows of scattered fruit and old wine surrounded by mountains. Today, tourists come mainly to admire the leaning houses made of granite stone and the imposing fortress. The sun burns on the bumpy pavement, mongrel dogs scurry through the streets.

The houses in the village are built partly in the granite rocks – what interesting shapes

Manuel Franco dismisses his guests to lunch in the Restaurant “Cova da Loba”. There are regional dishes, lots of lamb and goat. And a spectacular wine list. Around 200 Portuguese wines are on offer in this Restaurant up here, in a lonely mountain village with just 50 residents. Anyone who goes into the world of Portuguese wine, can make in this Land of amazing discoveries and also in unusual places an interesting variety of tastes to experience.
 

Editorial note: The article is part of a press trip.


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