Quinta de Passagem
Starting from the heart of the Douro Valley and following the course of the Douro River upstream, you reach the area known as the Douro Superior, which borders Spain. It was here that the Bergqvist family acquired Quinta de Passagem in 2005, located close to the river, not far from the village of Pocinho. Their partner in this joint venture is Jorge Moreira, a long-standing oenologist at Quinta de la Rosa.
Nine hectares are old vineyards planted with a mixture of indigenous grape varieties bearing rarely heard names: Viosinho, Gouveio, Rabigato and Códega do Larinho for the whites, and Tinta Barroca, Tinta Cão and Tinta Roriz for the reds. In 2005 and 2006, 20 hectares were newly planted with Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. These relatively young vines are already producing excellent grapes, and with each new vintage, Jorge Moreira succeeds in giving his red and white Passagem even more depth, elegance and expression. Passagem – passage, transition, passageway – is an apt name for a wine from this remote region, where many paths have crossed over the centuries, from prehistoric times (the famous rock carvings of Foz Côa are located here) through the Roman era and the Middle Ages to modern times.
White wines from Quinta de Passagem
Red wines from Quinta de Passagem
from Quinta de Passagem
In oenological terms, the Douro Superior is little known, although it is home to the famous Barca Velha, which caused a sensation in the 1950s and is still considered one of Portugal's finest wines. For Jorge Moreira and Sophia Bergqvist, Quinta de Passagem is certainly an exciting project with a bright future. In any case, every year we can look forward to discovering a new Passagem in red and white, two wines with distinctive individuality.
Producer
Bodegas Olivares
In the transitional zone between the Mediterranean coast and the highlands of the Meseta Central, to the west of Alicante, lies the Jumilla Denominación de Origen. Here, the Monastrell grape variety reigns supreme, basking in 3,000 hours of sunshine a year whilst at the same time withstanding the scorching heat. Gentle breezes from the sea and the refreshing cool of the nights provide it with some relief.
Weingut Rings
Weingut Rings, part of the Palatinate’s vineyard premier league, lies embedded in the sun-drenched Palatinate, right in the middle of the Freinsheim winegrowing district. For more than a decade, the new generation of the Rings family has been passionately concentrating on the ecological production of high quality dry wines. The hallmarks of Weingut Rings are well-balanced, dense wines with pronounced character and great cellar potential.
Castro Ventosa / Fam. Pérez Pereira
Castro Ventosa – a winery in the heart of the Bierzo wine-growing region. The Bierzo region comprises around 3,500 hectares of vineyards, 70 per cent of which are planted with vines aged between 40 and over 100 years. The native Mencía grape variety thrives in the sandy limestone soil.