Adega launches its first carved wine
Vila Alva – Centenarian Vineyards was a star in a great party atmosphere
Once again the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba e Alvito, has innovated by dedicating itself to the production of a white wine, the VILA ALVA – VINHAS CENTENARIAS made exclusively from grapes from vineyards that are more than 100 years old, through the winemaking process used by the Romans, very popular in this region of Alentejo.
The Cultural Center of Vila Alva, the chosen venue, was too small to receive the many hundreds of people who came to watch the launch of VILA ALVA – CENTENARY WINES, in a proof that culture, traditions, and carved wine have long been hand in hand.
The ceremony was attended by the presidents of the CVRA (Comissão Vitivinícola Regional Alentejana), Francisco Mateus, the mayor of Cuba, João Português, the chairman of the Vila Alva Parish Council, Mr. Vila Alva, and the mayor of the Vila Alva Vineyards. José Pacheco, and of course the Winery’s Board of Directors, represented by José Miguel de Almeida, accompanied by the President of the Ass. ACVCA General Manager, José Arvanas.
On the occasion, ACVCA’s president, José Miguel Almeida said: “It is in the parish of Vila Alva in the Municipality of Cuba that we find the oldest vineyards in this part of the country, many of them planted prior to 1930. Very old vineyards with small productions, but whose bunches have a refined quality, that gave origin to a wine of a unique level in Portugal.”
In the same vein, the words of Francisco Mateus were heard as he praised the efforts of the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito to preserve these vineyards, and to accompany the farmers who own them: “They are very old vines that some wish to uproot, and the work developed by the Winery is very meritorious, so that this does not happen, because it is a unique heritage that we all, including also the CVRA, want to preserve.”
The Mayor of Cuba, Dr. João Português, said “Vila Alva can today say that it has a wine that characterizes it, that identifies it, and that is long overdue. The launch of VILA ALVA – CENTENARY WINES, by Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba e Alvito, appears to us as a true tribute to the wisdom of all those who for generations knew how to pass on tradition and knowledge in the production of carved wine.”
José Pacheco, President of the Vila Alva Parish Council, highlighted this launch by saying: “It is with great satisfaction that the farmers of Vila Alva have taken on the creation of this wine. Vila Alva has a very strong tradition in the production of carved wine, which deserves to be preserved. This is a very proud moment for the parish and for all vilalvenses“.
During the ceremony, José Arvanas, President of Ass. General of the ACVCA, stated that “This initiative of the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito, aims to conserve the wine heritage of this region. It is a heritage that has been dying out, and because we still have members with vineyards with these characteristics, we want to preserve them, so that they can be maintained for many good years to come.”
Luis Morgado Leão, oenologist of the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba e Alvito says “Vila Alva was made from grapes from century-old vines, which produce more concentrated bunches, complex in aromas and flavors. That is why Vila Alva is a unique wine, intense and full of personality. We produce in our talhas a wine totally different from those that the winery produces regularly.”
In parallel to the launch, Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira Cuba e Alvito was also involved in the Terras Sem Sombra Festival, whose first concert of 2018 took place in the S. Cucufate Church in Vila de Frades.
“As sponsors of the Festival, we assume that cultural manifestations in our County help to give visibility and expression to the work developed by the Winery, which can thus take the excellence of its wines in this case to Hungary, guest country in this year’s edition of the Festival”as Dr. Daniela de Almeida, ACVCA’s Director of Marketing and Communication, put it.
One of the highlights of this event turned out to be a thematic visit to the centenary vineyards, where amidst the great enthusiasm and participation of those present, among whom was the Hungarian ambassador, José Miguel Almeida explained in great detail the major differences between the current vineyards and those that gave origin to the wine VILA ALVA – CENTENARIUS WINES, highlighting the excellence and richness of the grape varieties that were at the origin of the wine.
The Convent of Relíquias, where Dom Vasco da Gama was buried, was also the object of a detailed visit, conducted by the owners and by Prof. José António Falcão, organizer of the Terras Sem Sombra Festival.
About Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira Cuba e Alvito
The Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba e Alvito was founded in 1960 and started its activity in 1963, but its chronology goes far beyond its 58 years of existence.
Its roots are intertwined with the history of the town itself, and with Vasco da Gama – the Count of Vidigueira, to whom D. Jaime, Duke of Bragança gave the town in 1519. This is how Vidigueira’s first connections with the Gama family came about.
More than half a century after it was founded, the winery aims to fulfill the promise of discovery and affirmation of the Vidigueira region, so strongly marked by the culture of wine, on a journey that brings the winery and its town closer to Vasco da Gama and the conquests of other times.
As a tribute to Dom Vasco da Gama, the wines from Adega de Vidigueira tell a story divided into seven acts, and then some, that promise to take us on a journey to new sensory territories.
