Fall 2021 Wine Club
The six club wines are detailed below and we introduce several new producers. The wines span the Douro Valley, Bairrada, Dão, and Lisboa wine regions. We will have a live tasting event and Chef Henrique of 2-Michelin Star restaurant, Alma, provides an incredible food pairing not to be missed.
Special Event Details
Travel Resources are live!
My vision for JD Selections centers around delivering you incredible wines representing the best of Portugal. Food and travel are inextricably linked with wine. Having traveled Portugal extensively, the travel resource pages will always be up-to-date with my insider tips to ensure an awesome experience. Wine Club Members receive special discounts at partner hotels. Consider me at your disposal to help you make the most of your Portugal adventure whenever it happens.
Tasting with Wine Pro Rafa de Lima
Rafa is a featured contributor on the AirBnB "Experiences" platform, conducting online wine seminars globally. His professional wine and hospitality experience includes Ritz Carlton locations in Europe and the US, the Rosewood in London, and Michelin Star restaurants in the South of France. He now owns de Lima's Wine Bar in Porto. He will join us live to taste through the club wines, discuss how he evaluates wines, and answer questions.
November 14 at 5pm ET / 2pm PT via Zoom
RSVP to: jeff@jdselections.com
Cook with Henrique Sá Pessoa
Michelin Star-decorated chef, Henrique Sá Pessoa joins JD Selections as a featured contributor to provide food and wine pairings exclusive to our club. Chef Henrique is at the pinnacle of Portugal’s rich culinary scene as the creative force behind Lisbon’s must-visit 2-Michelin Star restaurant, Alma. Follow his instructional videos and recipes from the comfort of your home kitchen.
Below are details on the Fall 2021 club wines. I hope you reference these as you enjoy the wine. My aim is to give you a sense of their place, process, and introduce the key people involved. The growers producing these wines are not only partners, but friends I spend time with and endeavor to learn all aspects of their business to deliver the highest quality wines to you. If you have any questions, reach out to me any time. Cheers, saúde!
2017 Vadio Tinto
Vadio is a family-owned and run project in the Bairrada region founded in 2005 by husband and wife team, Luís Patrão and Eduarda Dias. Luís is a renowned winemaker that helped bring organic farming and minimal intervention techniques to one of Portugal’s largest wine producers before striking out on his own. Eduarda handles the business development and administrative elements and together they are pursuing their passion of working with the Bairrada wine region’s most important native varietals to produce authentic wines.
Luís and Eduarda, along with extended family members, farm 7.5 hectares (18.5 acres) across 4 vineyards in the Bairrada (wine map here) between Lisbon and Porto along the Atlantic Ocean. The winery is based in the small village of Poutena. They practice organic farming to ensure the health of their land and vines and the sustainability of the region’s biodiversity. The Atlantic Ocean’s climate influences combined with clay and limestone soils and native varietals contribute to the uniqueness of Vadio’s wines. They are known for their red wines featuring the Baga grape and the production of some of Portugal’s best sparkling wines. When I first tasted their wines and got to know the depth and care that Luís takes in the vineyards and cellar, I knew I had to bring it to the United States to share with you.
Vadio Tinto is their “flagship” red wine and features the King Grape of the Bairrada… “Baga”. Among winemakers, sommeliers, and wine lovers in Portugal, Baga is something of a mythical grape varietal. It is notoriously challenging to work with, much like the Pinot Noir varietal in that way, but in the hands of a winemaker like Luís, the wines can be spectacular. The 2017 has some bottle age, but well-made Baga can age gracefully for decades. At Vadio, harvest is by hand and the 2017 Tinto has Baga grapes from all four vineyards. Each plot is vinified separately with the same process. 50% of the grapes are pressed with whole bunch (stems and all) included. The wine matures in used oak vats and barrels for 24 months before bottling with a minimum of 6 months age in bottle at the winery before release. The 2017 has an expressive bouquet in the glass suggesting wild berries and and balsamic notes. Elegance is a word that comes to mind when tasting this wine. Tannins are present but silky, and the wine has vibrant acidity. I like this wine with a variety of foods, but it is also one I pour a glass of regularly sans food.
2018 Textura Pura Tinto
For Wine Club Members dating back to our first shipment, you’ll remember Textura. I’ve been working with Textura since their launch, and their wines are rapidly gaining an incredible following from restaurant sommeliers globally. Their quality is undeniable. Textura is the Portuguese word for “texture”. This naming is purposeful as the winery’s founder and owner, Marcelo Araujo wants his wines to be about their textures and feel and importantly how it makes us feel to drink them. Textura vineyards and winery are in the Dão region (wine map) about 90 minutes drive outside of Porto. Touring the fields and looking through the the beautiful, organically farmed vines toward the Serra da Estrela mountain range is a worthy trip to make. The Dão has one of Portugal’s most attractive combinations of climate and geographic features offering optimal grape growing conditions, and Marcelo and his family made significant investments in understanding their land and building their winery (fit into the original location of a textile factory) to properly allow for organic farming and the vinification of their parcels separately. By doing so, their wines best reflect their place of origin.
Winemaking is directed by Luis Seabra, whom many of you have seen live in one of our winemaker feature series (video here) about the Douro Valley. Luis is widely considered one of Portugal’s most influential viticulturists and winemakers, and his approach is minimalism and ensuring the wines we enjoy are not manipulated but reflect what the grapes and Mother Nature intended.
The Pura wines are Textura’s peak, top-of-the-line wines. Pura is the Portuguese word for “pure”. 2018 Pura Tinto is sourced from a 55-year old vineyard outside of the village of Vila Nova de Tazem. The vineyard sits at 1,800 feet of elevation and is organically farmed, like all of Textura’s vineyards. The soil is granite and the grapes in the blend are Jaen, Baga, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Cão, and Tinta Pinheira. The fruit was hand-harvested on October 2 and 3 in a year marked by high temperatures in the beginning of August following a rainy Spring. This offered consistent water through the growing season for high-quality fruit. Grapes fermented naturally with native yeasts and aged in French oak vats, with 40% whole bunch clusters included in the first 30 days. The wine then spent 16 months in 225-liter used French oak foudre and was naturally stabilized before bottling. The wine is distinctive and delicate with aromas of red cherry, gooseberry, a touch of spice. On the palate it shows nice acidity, dry, very refined and pure tannins with great texture (as the name implies). A complex and long finish, this is one of my all-time favorite red wines in Portugal.
Chef Henrique of 2-Michelin Star restaurant, Alma in Lisbon has paired this wine for Club Members with a special dish. Watch the instructional pairing video and access the recipe here.
2018 Pormenor Trilho
The distinctive Pormenor logo and braille features look familiar to many members, as we enjoyed the Tinto and Reserva Branco in the Spring shipment. For this shipment, I’m delighted to send Trilho Tinto. As Pormenor’s top line red wine, this is in short supply with only 1,800 bottles produced in 2018. Pormenor means “details” in Portuguese, and Pedro Coelho, owner and winemaker is hyper focused on the details that count when making incredible wines. I’ve been working with Pedro as long as I’ve been importing wine, and Pedro’s wines are an incredible reflection of the quality coming out of the Douro Valley. One of the details Pedro insists on is old vines and the vineyard producing the grapes for Trilho is 80 years old. This type of aged, fully mature old vine fruit is rare in the eastern part of Douro Valley where most vineyards are relatively new. This treats us to special qualities in these grape varietals not present in less mature vines.
Elevation plays an important part in viticulture globally, but in the Douro Valley where daytime summer temperatures are regularly above 85-degrees, high elevation vines slow the maturation typically accelerated by warm weather. Old vines at high elevation are a prime combination for creating special wines like Trilho. The grapes in the blend are Tinta Roriz (known as Tempranillo in neighboring Spain), Tinta Barroca, and Touriga Franca. Harvests are by hand and Pedro’s focus is to stay out of Mother Nature’s way and minimize human intervention in the winemaking process. Grapes for Trilho are meticulously selected, a practice that drives the small production quantity. Fermentation is in large, old wooden vats called “balseiro” and done in three equal methods. One-third is fermented with 100% whole bunch. Another third with 50% whole bunch, and the final third just the fruit. The fermentation and maceration is eight weeks long with minimal pump overs to soften extraction. The wine is then aged in used French oak barrels for two years before bottling.
Just as Pormenor Reserva Branco is a “benchmark” reference for Douro Valley white wine, Trilho Tinto is justified as such for Douro reds. The wine is discreet and doesn’t overpower. It is vibrant and fresh, and I would describe it as elegant but not overly lush or “big”. It has aging potential but can be enjoyed young. The wine pairs wonderfully with foods that would be typical for red wine though I almost always enjoy at least a little bit without food.
2016 Aneto Tinto
Francisco Montenegro started Aneto Wines in 2001 on land his family has owned for multiple generations. He farms 17 hectares though only a small portion of grapes grown are used in Aneto Wines. Grapes used for Aneto are from vineyards with age range between 25 and 80 years and span three farms across both the Baixo and Cima Corgo sub-regions of the Douro Valley, which provides a great interpretation of the heart of the Valley (wine map). I met Francisco at a tasting he hosted at the Six Senses Resort and Spa in the Douro. It was my first trip to the Douro Valley and before I had ever considered importing wine. His wines and my initial discussions with him helped forge my decision to start importing.
Francisco is dedicated to sustainable farming practices to ensure the long-term health of his land. No synthetic products are used in the vineyards or the winery. Francisco directs all aspects of the family’s wine business, and their aim is to remain a small, artisan producer dedicated to reflecting their land and the Douro.
2016 Aneto is a blend of Tinto Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional Tinta Roriz, and Tinto Cão grown in schist soil, the dominant soil type of the Douro Valley. Grapes are harvested manually before pressing at the winery and settle in open stainless steel tank where fermentation occurs using only indigenous yeast. The wine is aged for one year in used French oak barrels before bottling. To me this is “new classic” Douro red… it is fresh, well integrated, has oak but soft oak notes and not overpowering. The fruit is present but nicely balanced. I find myself drinking this wine regularly as a “house red” in the most enjoyable way. It pairs well with a wide range of foods and with 5 years of bottle age, it pairs with seafood (especially grilled seafood). Pop, pour, enjoy, repeat!
2019 Aneto Branco
Francisco takes a pure, direct approach to making Aneto wines. He focuses his efforts and prime fruit on his Tinto, Branco, and Rosé. He experiments, but he has a point of view on what his farm, vines, and fruit are aimed at. This is refreshing approach, as he guides his wines to a very enjoyable style reflecting the middle of the Douro, and like their geography, right down the middle on the combination of high quality, approachability, and enjoyment. I am including the current releases of both Tinto and Branco in this club shipment, but if you want to try the Rosé, you can get it here.
Aneto Branco is a blend of Gouveio, Viosinho, Cercial grown on transitional soil of schist and granite. Grapes are harvested manually and after selection and pressing, settle for 24 hours in stainless steel tank. Low temperature fermentation using only indigenous yeast over the course of one month brings the wine to fruition before bottling in the Spring of 2020. Like Aneto Tinto, 2019 Branco can be popped and poured for enjoyment right away. Fruit is restrained on the nose, but very present through the palate and the acid structure of the wine allows for enjoyment with seafood, chicken, and cheese courses. Or, as I like to do, pop it before dinner and enjoy it while cooking and preparing and follow it up with the Aneto Tinto!
2019 Quinta de Sant’Ana Branco
I am delighted to introduce Wine Club Members to Quinta de Sant’Ana. Nestled in rolling vineyards between the Atlantic Ocean and Lisbon, the Quinta (Portuguese word for “farm”) is a breathtaking property to experience Portugal. James and Ana Frost, along with their seven sons and additional family members, infuse the Quinta with a genuine spirit and harness the property’s rich history of wine production and hospitality. A popular destination for weddings, group retreats, families, and couples looking for a getaway, the Quinta is an oasis of enjoyment less than an hour outside of Lisbon.
Quinta de Sant’Ana produces a wide range of wines reflective of the Lisboa wine region’s deep history from their organically farmed vineyards. James always says the wines are made in the vineyards, not the winery, and the care he and his family and winemaking team have for the land is clear. Situated less than 10 miles from the Atlantic coast and 300 to 450 feet above sea level, the Quinta is blessed with a unique microclimate of cool nights, cloudy, misty mornings, and sunny afternoons. The Atlantic climate sweeps across the electric patchwork of calcareous clay slopes with vines weaving into different aspects of valleys, peaks, and ridges. The resulting wines are fresh and vibrant.
James and his winemaking team, headed by the esteemed Antonio Maçanita, began converting the vineyards to full organic farming in 2015 and achieved organic certification in 2018. Minimal intervention winemaking guides all decisions in the winery allowing the natural characteristics of the terroir to shine through in the wines. 2019 Branco comes from grapes grown in two vineyards on south facing slopes; one at top of slope on broken calcareous soils with high sun exposure and the other in the valley bottom on cool deep soils with less sun exposure. The blend is dominated by Fernão Pires and Verdelho. The grapes are hand picked in two stages, with a one week interval to retain acidity and freshness on one end and richness and fruit on the other. Smooth pressing of whole bunches by pneumatic press to extracts the best must, which is allowed to settle for one day. Fermentation is in steel vats at very low temperatures. The two lots are then blended after completion of fermentation and remain in stainless steel tank for six months to maintain its aromatic potential. The wine is pale citric yellow and has an expressive aromatic floral profile with a touch of tropical - passionfruit and lychee. The freshness dominates with a hint of minerality, rounder in the mouth and balanced acidity. Enjoy this wine on its own or paired with seafood or lighter meats.