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HERDADE DE SÃO MIGUEL – Alentejo Region. The wines of Herdade de São Miguel are from Alentejo and have the “ Alentejano ” classification that is similar to an IGP status.
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HERDADE DE SÃO MIGUEL – Alentejo Region • The wines of Herdade de São Miguel are from Alentejo and have the “Alentejano” classification that is similar to an IGP status. • There are wines that are classified DO Alentejo, but they must be from one of eight smaller subregions within the larger Alentejo region.
HERDADE DE SÃO MIGUEL – Indigenous Grapes of Alentejo Aragonez Alicante Bouschet Touriga Nacional Trincadeira • Trincadeira is one of the most widespread Portuguese grape varieties. • It shows best in hot, dry and very sunny areas, which makes it perfectly suited to regions such as the Alentejo. • It is not easy to grow, but in most years Trincadeira yields great wines with excellent acidity, soft tannins and abundant, intense aromas of black plum and jammy blackberry. • Alicante Bouschet is a cross between the French varieties Petit Bouschet and Grenache. • It is one of the world's very few “teinturier” (with red flesh) grapes, able to provide concentrated, deeply colored wines. • Contributes structure, tannins and color with notes of forest berries, cocoa, olives and vegetal notes. • Better known by its Spanish name, Tempranillo. • In Portugal, Aragonez can also be called TintaRoriz (in Dão and Douro). The grape thrives in hot and dry climates and in sandy or limestone soils. • Such conditions produce lively yet deep wines with a happy combination of elegance and strength, almond, fruit and spice. • Touriga Nacional is heralded throughout Portugal. • The grape's thick skin helps to obtain deep, dense color - one of the variety's distinctive traits. • The wine from this grape may be floral, fruity, or citrus, but is always intense, explosive and elegant. QUINTESSENTIAL IMPORTER | MARKETER | DISTRIBUTOR www.quintessentialwines.com
HERDADE DE SÃO MIGUEL • Alentejo is a wine region located in the southern half of Portugal. It covers about one-third of the country and is sparsely populated. Noted for its vast cork production, it has garnered attention for its table wine production in recent years. Some producers of this region still produce wine in great clay vessels as in Roman times. • The reds of the Alentejo region are easy drinkers, rich and fruity, and are the darlings of Lisbon cafés and restaurants, found on wine lists the length of the country. • Whites are more difficult to produce in this hot climate, but some excellent examples are made with a combination the right place and appropriate skill in the vineyards and cellar. • Most of the Alentejo consists of undulating plains and gentle hills, with mountains only in the north east, near the town of Portalegre. Here, the São Mamede mountain range rises up by the border with Spain, the air becomes cooler and the countryside greener. • Soils vary greatly: schist, pink marble, granite and limestone are often laid upon a sub-layer of water-retaining clay. • Historical records strongly suggest that the first Portuguese wines exported to Rome may have come from this region —Roman influence was critical in the development of Alentejo viticulture. • Over the centuries, the Alentejo region went through numerous cycles of economic downturn and turmoil followed by periods of success and prosperity until the phylloxera epidemic of the late 19th century. Two world wars, successive economic crises, and a campaign to replace vineyards with wheat and other grain fields (in an attempt to turn the region into Portugal’s ‘bread basket’) followed, and Alentejo wines fell into decline once again. Vineyards were reduced to small plots surrounding the hillsides or on the outskirts of villages and towns. Wine was produced for home consumption only and commercial production diminished significantly. • The first Alentejo DOCs (Protected Designation of Origin) were regulated in 1988. QUINTESSENTIAL IMPORTER | MARKETER | DISTRIBUTOR www.quintessentialwines.com
HERDADE DE SÃO MIGUEL – About the Winery Alexandre Relvas Sr. on the left; Alexandre Relvas Jr. on the right. Herdade do São Miguel • The Herdade de São Miguel was acquired by Alexandre Relvas in 1997 and is comprised of 432 acres of total area, of which 86 are planted to vineyards on loam soil, derived from schist. The winery is named after the small town of São Miguel (Saint Michael in Portuguese) where the winery is located within the greater municipality of Redondo. • An additional 240 acres are covered by cork trees that were planted in planted between 1998 and 1999. • The winery is committed to making fine wines from international varieties but has also planted indigenous Portuguese varieties and remains committed to preserving these traditional Portuguese varieties as a part of the country’s heritage. • The remaining acreage is dedicated to the breeding and conservation of endangered local species such as the 'Mirandela' donkey and the 'Garrano' horses of Gerês that in the past had been great agriculture tools, but now are endangered due to increased automation in agriculture. QUINTESSENTIAL IMPORTER | MARKETER | DISTRIBUTOR www.quintessentialwines.com
HERDADE DE SÃO MIGUEL – Social and Ecological Responsibility • The winery currently has roughly 20% of its vineyards certified organic and is working to convert more of its vineyards to organic every year. • The winery employs sustainable practices such as: • creating natural marshes that passively filter and reuse water throughout the property - decreasing waste. • employing more than 400 Merino sheep that play a fundamental role in fertilizing and weeding the vineyards without the use of chemicals or machinery. • Since 2006, Herdade de Sao Miguel has planted more than 120,000 trees, all species that are native to the area, in an effort to promote reforestation of the estate. • The winery is also dedicated to the conservation of endangered local species of domesticated donkeys and horses that were once essential to the agriculture of the region but are facing extinction in the face of increased automation in the region. • As a part of its Social Responsibility program, the winery contributes to CADin, a Portuguese non-profit child development support center that provides assistance and support to children and adolescents with developmental problems. More than 30% of the children and more than 1600 families who participate in the program are supported by the funds contributed by Portuguese companies such as Herdade de Sao Miguel. • The winery is also a supporter of “Kitchen with a Soul”, a service that provides families in financial distress who may not have access to food banks or other community support systems with a complete daily meal for the whole family. QUINTESSENTIAL IMPORTER | MARKETER | DISTRIBUTOR www.quintessentialwines.com
HERDADE DE SÃO MIGUEL – Alentejo Traditions • The most enduring tradition left behind by the Romans, and still an integral part of the Alentejo winemaking process, is that of fermenting must and storing wine in talhas de barro - clay vessels, produced in all shapes and sizes. Some of these clay vessels weigh up to a ton, reach two meters in height, and can store up to 2,000 liters of wine. • The porous vessels were treated with pês, a natural pine resin, to prevent leakage, using ancestral methods passed down along successive generations of artisans called pesgadores, a profession almost extinct now. • Each clan of pesgadores had their own secret pês recipe, magic formulas that conferred their own distinctive flavours and characteristics to each talha de barro. QUINTESSENTIAL IMPORTER | MARKETER | DISTRIBUTOR www.quintessentialwines.com
HERDADE DE SÃO MIGUEL – Portuguese Wines in the Press • According to Wines of Portugal, the category has grown 8.8% since 2015. Already in 2017’s Q1, they are also reporting a 33.9% increase in exports compared to the same quarter in 2016. • Portuguese wine offers all the qualities that high-consumption consumers are looking for: • High Quality-to-Price Ratio • Interesting and new grape varieties that offer an approachable flavor profile • Food-friendliness • High scores and top ratings from important scoring publications and reviewers • Below, some headlines from top media outlets over the past year that illustrate consumer interest in all things Portugal – especially Portuguese wine: QUINTESSENTIAL IMPORTER | MARKETER | DISTRIBUTOR www.quintessentialwines.com
