«Since last year, we have noticed that there is an increase in quality, that there is less makeover [makeup] and much more real work». This was the message left by president of the jury of the Algarve Wine Competition, after a morning dedicated to tasting the most 80 wines that applied.
The evolution was noticed by most evaluators, the vast majority of whom had already been part of the jury of the 2015 edition of this competition, organized by the Algarve Wine Commission (CVA) in partnership with the Lagoa City Council and the Association of Escanções de Portugal. And this is possible "due to the dedication of Algarve producers and the investments they have been making in their farms and vineyards," according to CVA president Carlos Garcias.
Some examples of what is being done on the ground, which contributes to this increase in the quality of Algarve wines, were witnessed by journalists from various media, on a press tour that revealed three estates that produce emblematic wines.
The initiative had a moment of socializing, which was attended by the councilor of Lagoa Luís Encarnação, one of the hosts of the initiative, as the press tour was held within the scope of «Lagoa Cidade do Vinho 2016». Also present were the members of the jury, as well as other guests, who had the opportunity to taste wine, but also the typical Algarve cuisine.
This time, CVA chose to show the work of two foreign producers, who invested in the Algarve, more precisely Quinta do Francês, in Silves, and Adega do Cantor, in Guia, and the winegrower from Lagoon José Manuel Cabrita, who took on the family vineyards for 16 years, innovated and became a reference at the regional level.
Three very different projects, but which share a common denominator: A strong passion for wine production, allied to the constant concern with innovating and improving quality.
The Quinta do Francês project is the perfect example of how far a passion can go. Patrick Agostini is a doctor at Centro Hospitalar do Algarve and it was his profession that brought him and his wife Fátima Santos to the region for more than a decade. With him, he brought a passion for wine, which was refined after the year he spent living in Bordeaux.
After buying a farm where «there was nothing», on the land along the Odelouca stream, in Silves, he started planting vines in 2002, having achieved his first production four years later. The project evolved and the wines produced here won national and international awards.
All of this was done by the couple's hands, with initial help from a French friend who works in the area, and the support of oenologist Joana Maçanita. But, for a long time now, everything has been in the hands of Patrick Agostini. «Nowadays, we produce 35 bottles a year. In our vineyards, we only produce red varieties, but we also have white wines, made with grapes that we buy», said Fátima Santos.
The owners of Quinta do Francês decided to cultivate one hectare of white grape varieties, which will join the 8 hectares of red vines they already have.
The history of the Quinta da Vinha project, in Lagoa, is quite different from its counterpart in Silves: José Manuel Cabrita comes from a family of Algarve wine producers and inherited three hectares of vineyards, around 16 years ago. At the time, he decided to invest seriously in viticulture and bought another 3 hectares of land, where he removed the vines that already existed there, to plant new varieties.
José Cabrita bet on «100 percent Portuguese varieties» and sought to optimize his vineyards, the methodology of wine production and storage/ripening, with the help of winemaker Joana Maçanita. Today, in addition to its 6,6 hectares, it leases another 5 to neighbors.
It was in one of these that he discovered a vine of the black mole variety, typical of the region, but which acquired a bad reputation as a wine grape over the years. Even so, Quinta da Vinha decided to bet on a single varietal wine of this variety, which is already taking shape in one of the cellar's reservoirs.
This improbable bet – José Cabrita says that his father's vines were black mole and, 16 years ago, he was forced to replace them – is due to this producer's desire to «not let this variety die» and to «raise the your name".
This wine was one of those that were given to the guests to taste, at a lunch that took place in a new space at Quinta da Vinha, suitable for holding events. Other wines from the cellar were served in harmony with the typical Algarve dishes that were served, namely horse mackerel, cockle xerém, fava beans with sausages and algarvian cataplana.
This Monday's press tour ended with a visit to Adega do Cantor, of which British singer Cliff Richards is one of the partners. The other owner of this winery is Nigel Birch, a businessman who has long settled in the Algarve and who has also decided to invest in winemaking.
In this winery, which hosts the production of three different vineyards, around 100 thousand bottles of wine are produced per year. The most recent bet is a white sparkling wine, but other winery references, such as Vida Nova, but also the latest Onda Nova, are already well known and a highly exported product.
These and other producers in the region who submitted wines to the competition that took place yesterday are now waiting to know if they will win another prize. the results are expected to be released today, in the late afternoon.
See all photos of the visit to three Thursdays:
(Photos: Hugo Rodrigues/Sul Informação)
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