Adegga Wine Market 2011 and tasting @ Sala Premium

Adegga Wine Market is what you can not miss if you live in Lisbon or surroundings, or if you are not afraid to travel when you know that what you are going to taste it is totally worth it.

We are talking about Adegga Adegga Wine Market, a tasting where you can taste all the wines before buying and this edition 2011 has taken place in the Theatre Alberto of Lisbon last 1st of December, and not only that, it is also a meeting place between wine producers and wine lovers together with international professionals.

The origin of Adegga Wine Market is the web and online community Adegga, which was created 5 years ago, and where a lot of people taste, shares their tasting notes and  experiences. Something that undoubtedly should exist in every corner of the planet. And in addition I had the pleasure of getting to know more his creator and friend (i can say now) André Riberinho in the European Wine Bloggers Conference 2011. (And other two founders are André Cid Proença and Emidio Santos).

This edition 2011 of Adegga Wine Market has been the third edition of the tasting, and just the day before André was telling us that they had received 2500 bottles of wine and they had confirmed 35 wine producers. (The first year they confirmed 13 wine producers). Another information to standing out is that this year approximately 900 visitors came aprox, almost doubling the number of last year. Certainly it is an event not to miss and with more success year after year

The beginning of the day took place with an advance of the tasting of the sala Premium, that few privileged had the honor of opening the bottles and taste them before the event was opening its doors the public.

 

For the first time in Adegga’s history,

it was inaugurated the sala Premium, a room where some unique and old bottles could be tasted, of very special wines offered by big and recognized Portuguese warehouses, and to a price, as the same André described ¨unexpensive ¨, only for 20eur!! And you could reserve an hour to taste the wines, together with other 15 persons, in shifts of 15 pax. and the wonders of the kingdom were the following wines:

• A unique Port Wine, and not only unique for being pre-filoxeric, but in addition it comes from the effort and dedication of a woman who contributed to what the Douro is today, Doña Antonia Adelaida Ferreira, the ¨Grande Dame ¨ of the Douro.

• Its color attracted very much my attention, a pale golden – pink one with greenish rim. In the nose with gently spicy  touch, fine pastry and even magdalenas. What more surprised me in mouth is its freshness, and a sweet and complex touch, that I found in many old cognacs or brandies. A jewel, which still has more life of which many of us we´ll see in this world.

• As I was indicated when I tasted it, very possibly some of the grapes for this Port came from Quinta do Vesúvio, a vineyard originally of 400 has and recognized throughout the world as one of the most incredible areas of vineyard of the Douro. In 1989 Quinta do Vesuvio was bought by the Symington family (that also possess W. & J. Graham, Warre, Dow’s Port, Quarles Harris, Quinta do Vesuvio, and Smith Woodhouse).

• Not that to say, that tasting a wine of this age and more being a Port, thrills even the most insensitive person.

• Agrellos was presenting a wonderful and brilliant amber color worthy of a good old tawny, with golden rim of old gold and slightly orange; very intense and complex aroma, finding almonds and honey, which they repeat in mouth together with a surprising touch of dates.

• Another wine-bomb, with excellent acidity, which has crossed a long way to end in Adegga, showing us its virtues and long history. With this wine I started getting hungry.

• Before tasting this Graham Port, I was already looking at it nicely, because it has been the first Lodge in Vina Nova de Gaia that I have visited and I´ve been learning about its history and I have tasted recently their other Ports and wines. Thanks to Gustavo Devesas!

• This Port is a product of a special and limited edition of only 6 casks of 1969, we´ll call it the ¨sexy vintage¨ without doing any more comments about it, of which only 712 numbered bottles were made, so we can already count one less.

• The color is amber-based and reddish, as its own name indicates, It´s a ¨tawny¨ with brown reflections and a golden rim. On the nose, first aroma of sultanas and dried fruits, as figs, and also touches of caramel and toffee, very agreeable and undoubtedly coming from the oxidative ageing. On the palate It is creamy, refreshing and intense, coming back the same aromas that persist. An great Port.

• A significant year for Symington family that acquired the firm W & J Graham in 1970, and for the first time the Symignton took responsibility of the production that same year. Soon they realized that they would not be surprised if that harvest was giving place to a Vintage, for the quality of the vintage. A Vintage Port can only be done in the exceptional years, and this is normally an average of approximately 3 times in a decade. So it is something twice special, for the meaning of that year and for being a Vintage.

• The color is a garnet with brown rim, and aromas of roasted plums, raisins, dried figs and even cooked black cherries. In the mouth, it continues the intensity of the fruit and is very fresh, and has a polished and almost granular tannin, I would dare to say that it is one Vintage Port ready to enjoy just now and possibly in its better moment.

  Poças Colheita 1976

• I had the great luck of beginning to know Port wines with Niepoort, working at Vila Viniteca in Barcelona, their distributor in Spain. And I say the great luck because I know that this is not the normal way to approach Port, as Niepoort enters the new way of elaborating Portos in the Douro, with a load of immense fruit, great color and concentration together with a sublime elegance.

• First we must remember that Colheita Port It is a Tawny Port from the same year, and aged in wood for at least 7 years before being bottled.

• Just looking at it, It shows a great color and intensity for its age with slightly orange rim, on the nose It shows a smoky touch with very pleasent dried fruits like plums and dry sultanas, on  the mouth confirms a great concentration and a powerful body. Simply fantastic.

• This Tawny 20 years of Villar d’Allen fascinated me as soon as I tasted it, and furthermore later on having discovered that a friend is behind its existence, Oscar Quevedo of Quevedo Port Wine, who has contributed to the return to scene of the legendary house of  Port Villar d´Allen. We are talking about only 500 bottles made by an order of the family Allen to the family Quevedo, who asked them to do a special coupage of 20 years Port for them, and this is the fantastic result.

• Brilliant amber color with orange rim, on the nose is promising, medium intensity, the classic dried fruits and a light touch of toffee, on the palate is very refreshing, with a vivacious entry, and a tasty way through that lasts. I reaffirm myself saying that I am in my “Tawny moment”, my kingdom for a good Tawny, though I know that my “Vintage moment”  will come. It is only a question of time.

• This is nevertheless, the first wine that Dirk Niepoort did in 1990 in the Douro, in magnum version, and that never went out to sale.

• A red wine 22 years old and still being interesting, elegant and complex. Evolved but pleasent aromas, because it is necessary to be a ¨Robustus¨ Wine, to be after all these years in such good form.

• By the color, we could think that it is an old Bourgogne, and on the nose we find mature fruit of plums with a light smoky and leather touch, with a marvellous acidity in the mouth. Personally I find fascinating being able to taste old vintages, and when there is a good producer behind, it is normally something very special.

• The vintages 2004 and 2005 of Robustus they remained 18 months in French casks and 27 months in casks of oak of 1500lts. The vintage 2007 spent 4 years in casks of 2000lts. There is a small change of style but the essence is the same, and the change has been for the better. They all have a color ruby base which descends with the vintage and also have much more balsamic aromas and spices, as pepper, on the mouth they al have a great body, you can almost chew them. They all have its moment of actual enjoyment.

• Now we go on from the Douro to the Alentejo and this is the Top wine of Esporao. Intense aroma of cherries, raspberries, blackberries and it is mixed with chocolate hints. On the palate It shows great body and a great acidity. A style considered by many as “modern”, and undoubtedly a great wine.

  Heredado do Peso Icone 2007

• Top wine of Cortes de cima and also only elaborated in the best years. It is a coupage of Aragonez, Touriga Nacional, Syrah and Petit Verdot, with an ageing between 12 and 14 months in new casks of oak.

• Amazing, powerful and elegant nose, chocolate, blackberries and vanilla hints. On the mouth with a good body and long finish. Undoubtedly a great wine, which will reach with time its best moment.

• A wine from Lisbon 75 % Syrah and 25 % Touriga Nacional, and two people behind this wine: Michel Chapoutier and Bento Dos Santos, looking undoubtedly for the style of the northern Rhone.

• Complex and spicy aromas and with licorice, on the mouth slightly closed but harmonized and a long finish.

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