Tag: Wines of Portugal

Churchill’s Offers “Vindima” Douro Harvest Experience

Churchill’s is offering tourists the opportunity to participate in picking grapes and immerse themselves knee-deep in the tradition of treading the fruit under foot this September. It was just announced that Quinta da Gricha, their flagship vineyard, will welcome visits for its annual ‘Vindima’ September 10, 11 and 25th. The day begins with a grape picking challenge with Churchill’s viticultural team, where they will harvest the berries that go into its wines.

The experience continues with a tasting of four wines, including two vintage Ports from the same vineyard that you just picked from.

You can’t make wine without crushing grapes, and Churchill’s is one of the few Port houses to still do it by foot. The attendees will have the chance to tread on the fruit in the traditional granite lagares, which date back to 1852. Clothing will be provided, for those concerned about irreparably staining their white tops and shorts.

The experience ends with guests will be treated to a three-course lunch in the orange grove, with Churchill’s Douro wines and vintage Port to pair.

The price is £185 per person, with additional options for transfers from/to Porto.

For further details and registration: https://bit.ly/3JFRrWI

#portwine #port #churchills_port #churchills_estates #churchills_lodge #1982bar #ChurchillsPort #ChurchillsEstates #QuintadaGricha #PortWine #DouroWine #Douro #DouroValley #IloveDouro #DouroLovers #winerylife #winetasting #winetourism #winetime #winecountry #vineyard #vines #iloveDouro #wineexperience #wineharvest
#winesofportugal #vinho

@churchills_port

Wines of Portugal Annual Tasting [London] March 29th, 2022

After almost 2 years without coming to the market as a group, Portuguese wine producers are eager to show what they’ve been working on these last few months.

Portuguese wine exports have rocketed to a historical global level of 925 million euros in 2021 (+8.11% vs 2020). And there’s more good news, specifically for the UK, as 10.58% of all Portuguese wines exported come to this market, making it the 3rd biggest market for Portugal (after France and the US).

The Annual Tasting will take place on March 29th, at St Mary’s Church in Marylebone (London, W1H 1PQ), being the first Wines of Portugal tasting to take place worldwide. Historically, it is a very important tasting, reflecting the importance of the UK market for Portuguese wine exports and it happens the year the Anglo-Portuguese Alliance celebrates its 650th anniversary.

Presenting 70 producers, from 10 different wine regions, and more than 600 wines, the day will be an opportunity to get a sense of what’s new, trendy and what has been moving Portuguese winemakers, as well as to taste the new vintages. There will be a mixture of completely new wines and iconic wines that have built the reputation of Portuguese wines over the years.

Complementing this program, Wines of Portugal is organizing two masterclasses to show the diversity of Portuguese wines and why they are so suitable for the on-trade.

Registration:  https://bit.ly/3tlUUBR

#masterclass #wine #winetasting #wineevent #LondonUK #port #uk #portuguesewines #portugal #winesofportugal #vinho #winelovers #vinhosdeportugal #douro #redwine #whitewine #instawine #winetourism #dourovalley #winetime #winetrade #winejournalist #wineeducation

Wines of Alentejo Announce New Sustainability Certification Program

Portugal’s Comissão Vitivinicola Regional Alentejana (CVRA) / Wines of Alentejo, confirms that four wineries in this sustainability-conscious region have met a rigorous (new set) of requirements.  This qualifies them to feature a newly created official “Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Program (WASP)” certification seal on their wines. Herdade dos Grous was the first to qualify, followed by Herdade de Coelheiros, Herdade dos Lagos and Casa Relvas. At least six more producers are expected to join in early 2022.

“Strong interest from local wineries, and their ability to meet the tough requirements, are indicative of the Alentejo region’s deep-seated commitment to sustainability. An admirer once told me that Alentejo is a small region doing the work of giants.” — WASP Coordinator João Barroso.

Certification details were unveiled in August 2020. Qualifying wineries must comply with 86% or more of 171 demanding WASP criteria at the most advanced level. Areas covered are viticulture, vinification, and social responsibility, including employee well-being and benefits for the local community. Independent verification is handled by one of four certifying agencies: Bureau Veritas, Certis, Kiwa Sativa, and SGS.

Herdade dos Grous manager and oenologist Luís Duarte comments, “As the first winery in Portugal to achieve this level of sustainability certification, we are proud to help promote the image of Portugal and, especially, Alentejo as home to some of the world’s most ecologically and socially responsible wines, bar none.” Herdade dos Grous’ highly regarded “Moon Harvested” a 100% Alicante Bouschet, is one of the first wines to sport the new logo.

WASP debuted just five years ago under the auspices of Portugal’s Comissão Vitivinícola Regional Alentejana (CVRA), aka Wines of Alentejo. Starting with an impressive 96 members at the end of 2015, that number currently stands at 483 out of a universe of 1,800 winegrowers and 260 wineries. Members represent nearly 50% of Alentejo’s vineyard area.

Under the WASP auspices, 600 individuals have received one-on-one training or attended classes. A further 1,500 have attended sustainable winegrowing workshops. Key to the program’s success is the focus on helping partners save money: a simple water and electricity monitoring plan, for example, can reduce consumption by 20% to 30%. But João Barroso is especially proud of the program’s leadership role. He is confident that not only other Portuguese regions but other areas and countries around the world will step up to the sustainability challenge.

#winesofportugal #wine #winelovers #instawine #winenews #sustainability #vinho #alentejo #portuguesewine ##dourowines #vinhoverde #ecofriendly #environment

Portuguese Wine Exports Increase H1

Exports of Portuguese wines increased by 14.5 % in volume and 19.3 % in value, during the first six months of 2021, reaching almost €436 million.

“Portuguese wine exports had very positive behavior in the first half of 2021, registering a remarkable increase, both in value and in quantity, when compared to the same period of 2020: 14.5 % in volume, 19.3 % in value and 4.2 % in average price”, stated the Ministry of Agriculture.

Between January and June, Portuguese wine exports stood at €435.6 million, €70.5 million more than last year.

With regards to the community market, exports advanced 14.6 % in volume and 19 % in value in the first half of the year, while the average price grew by 3.8 %.

In turn, exports to third countries increased 14.4 % in volume and 19.6 % in value until June, compared to the same period in 2020.

France, United States, United Kingdom, Brazil and Germany were the most important markets during this period.

According to data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), quoted by the Ministry of Agriculture, the agri-food complex grew 8.4 % in the first semester, compared to the same period of 2020.

“This is another sign of the sector’s resilience and capacity to adapt to the situation of a serious health crisis that we are still going through. The Ministry of Agriculture has always been on the side of producers and companies, with the necessary measures to guarantee predictability and stability in this period of greater uncertainty”, said the Minister of Agriculture, Maria do Céu Antunes.

#wine #winenews #wineeconomics #winelovers #portugal #Portuguesewine #instawine #winesofportugal #wineexports #vinho #vinhoverde #whitewine #redwine