General
Questions & Answers time: grab your Port and visit For the Love of Port
During this last week I have been actively participating at the For the Love of Port forum. I was answering questions and comments at the Guest Corner, a section of the forum that from time to time brings someone from the Port trade to share views and ideas, for a full week. I’m very please [...]
Give me a hug!
Last week I was in London for the London International Wine Fair, a wine trade exhibition that is declining in interest but which is still visited by some clients and friends. So, there we were. I had a dinner on one of the days I was there with someone that I had only met once [...]
Wine consumption: doctors and politicias have different approachs
We all know that the current economic situation is not as favorable as we would hope. Private and public consumption is weak; families, companies and Governments are all over indebted. The GDP (Gross Domestic Product) if growing is moving at a very low pace and politicians do what they can to protect their economies while [...]
Old saying “April Showers” is almost valid for 2012
Quick update about the weather situation in the Douro. After a long period of sunshine and clear sky, clouds came back to the desperate-for-water Douro valley and gave us some relief. The situation looks a bit better now, with April presenting 2/3 long-term average levels of rainfall. The big question still remains: will rain continue [...]
Harvest at the Douro by Monique de Jager
Editor’s note: The article you find underneath was written by a friend, Monique de Jager, a friend from Holland that spent a week in the Douro last September, for the harvest. I challenged Monique to share her experience and here it is. If you dare to come over next September let us know. Oscar Harvest time [...]
Oz Clarke’s Wine Atlas – my Christmas gift
Christmas is gone, but lets go back for the gifts Santa brought over, not this year but a couple of years ago, in 2010, when I received Oz Clarke’s Wine Atlas. Though it was my preferred gift of that Christmas, I had it parked for several months. Last week, out of nothing, decided to take [...]
My 12 weather wishes for 2012
1. 2012 should start with 5cm of snow in January, painting everything of white 2. a very cold February, to help wines to clarify 3. sunshiny March so blooming almond trees will look gorgeous 4. rainy April, creating enough reserves of water in the soil for the hot and dry Summer 5. warm and dry [...]
Is Port Wine making the population of the Douro richer?
Currently, the global economic situation, with a local and international crisis with reduction of Port Wine production and the difficulties that some vinegrowers are facing, made me reflect about the impact of the Port Wine production in the population of the Douro valley. Is Port Wine really increasing life standards of the population that live [...]
Harvest 2011 – half of the grapes harvested
The second week of harvest is gone and temperatures persist high. Too high for what we wished. Summer is almost over but it is still hot in the Douro. High temperatures make our life both in the vineyards and at the winery much more difficult. In the vineyards harvesters are not as productive as with cool climate. [...]
A word to the month of May
May brought to Quevedo lots of good news. May, the month of strong storms and rains in the Douro, that in some years destroy our crop, was, this year, also a month of bonanza. We found distribution for our Port Wine in 3 new markets: Finland, Latvia and Brazil. Our big mission for 2011 was [...]
