Our meeting point with Hugo Guimarães of Pinalta was in Casal dos Loivos high above Pinhão in the Cima Corgo region of the Douro. We were early for our rendezvous and took the opportunity to gaze down the steep terraces forming a natural amphitheatre over the wide curves of Douro below. All around us walls of dark flakey schist supported old gnarled vines.
An old Range rover pulled up alongside and Hugo waved us in. We drove in comfort up the steep stoney track raising a plume of dust as we passed through vineyards of Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Franca. At the top of the hill was an old adega or winery with stone lagars for treading the grapes. The next building was the family home where we were warmly welcomed by Hugo’s mother and grandfather and where we proceeded to enjoy the whole range of Pinalta wines against the stunning backdrop of the distant Douro Superior.
The History
Pinalta is very much a family concern. Hugo is fourth generation and heads up the family’s thriving cork closure business in Lourosa south of Porto while developing the family vineyards and wines in the Douro valley. The family patriarch Edmundo started with nothing and aged only 14 years old travelled to Paris to find his fortune. Unfortunately, the streets of Paris in the 1920s were not paved with gold and Edmundo decided to return home to Portugal. On foot. This incredible journey surely galvanised his resolve because on his return he started his own cork business and was so successful he was able to buy up parcels of vines that would one day prove to be some of the most sought after vineyards in the Douro.
Vineyards
The Pinalta vineyards were originally planted with vines for ports where colour and alcohol levels are important but now instead of adding brandy to stop the fermentation and raise the alcohol level Pinalta wines are fermented dry to make full-bodied yet fine table wines. Just over half the property is planted with vines (20 hectares) and the unique terroir in this part of the Douro provides grapes with very specific characteristics such as high elevation for cooling breezes, sun exposure for good ripening, well drained schist soils and dedicated personal attention. All ingredients for exceptional wine making !
Portuguese winemakers excel at blending and the Pinalta range of wine is a fine balance of Touriga Franca which makes richly-coloured, dense yet elegant wines with blackberry fruit and wild floral notes and firm velvety tannins for that all important ageing potential. This along with Tinta Barroca and its naturally high sugar levels and versatile Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) with its berry fruit and spice all combine superbly !
On the opposite side of the Douro from Casal dos Loivos are the sun-kissed Secegas vineyards. These now form part of the Pinalta portfolio and are field blends. No one is quite sure how many grape varieties have been planted there (more than ten have been identified). The site and aspect is perfect for ripening, catching the morning and evening rays as the sun slowly arcs over the steep ridge.
Wine making by Hugo Oliveira e Silva
All the grapes are hand-picked and destemmed before being foot trodden in old stone tanks or lagares. Foot treading is still popular in this region because the pressure is firm enough to extract juice and colour from the grapes but gentle enough not to crush those bitter tasting pips. However, in a nod to modernity, cooling systems have been installed to maintain that all important freshness. The fermenting wine is then transferred to stainless steel tanks and aged in French oak barrels before bottling two to three years after harvesting. Wine maker Hugo Oliveira e Silva, part of a new wave of young dynamic Douro wine makers, is in charge of the harvesting, blending and ageing, a role he takes a keen interest in.
The Pinalta Range – a quick run through…
- Pinalta Classic full bodied with flavours of red and black fruit, jam, prunes, spice, vanilla and coffee with a long penetrating finish.
- Pingo da Lua (Moon drop) a deep garnet colour with a rich complex aroma of red and black fruits, violets, spices and herbs with the traditional power of Douro wines.
- Sorrir do Sol (Smile of the Sun) has an intense dark colour, powerful and spicy, ripe black and red fruits blackberry and blueberry, plum, violet and fennel, tobacco, coffee and burnt sugar flavours.
- Mil e Uma noites ( Thousand and one nights) a deep almost black colour with ripe plum and blueberry flavours, notes of violet, menthol, coffee and chocolate, slate, leather and caramel. Full bodied with smooth tannins, perfectly balanced with a very long finish.
You can buy these wines from this website or come along to a tasting. Pinalta’s wine maker Hugo Oliveira e Silva will be in Edinburgh this November presenting Pinalta wines along with his own range from Adega Artesenal at tastings around Edinburgh in November.
- Thursday 7th November – Toast, Leith, Seli Shama seli@toastleith.co.uk
- Friday 8th November – Appellation Wines, Comely Bank ashton@appellationwines.co.uk
- Saturday 9th November – Edinburgh Festival of Wine – Douro masterclass – Sold out
- Monday 11th November – Canny Mans, Morningside – thecannymans@gmail.com
Hope to see you there !!
