VIDIGUEIRA THE WHITE OF THE ALENTEJO!
All the Portuguese and many people outside Portugal enthusiastically say that the wines from the Alentejo are always good. That the wines from the Alentejo have a certificate of quality that guarantees them a level of acceptance that no other Portuguese wines can achieve.
We can therefore say that the wines from the Alentejo have conquered the world and continue to please those who taste and try them day after day. Oenophiles say that our white wines are round, smooth, aromatic, and drink effortlessly. These same experts say that our red wines are full-bodied, with notes of wild berries, and lots of tannins.
All reasons that end up explaining the true explosion of the consumption of Alentejo wines in Portugal and in the world in the last 30 years.
It is important to say that in the area of influence of our winery (Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito Counties) white wines have always distinguished themselves from all others produced in the Alentejo, for their intrinsic characteristics: high minerality, strong aromas of tropical fruits, and their balanced acidity.
Roman History
Our region naturally owes to the Romans the beginning of the wine adventure that we proudly continue today. They are the ones who left us
the methods, tools, fermentation and storage processes
of the wines.
When the Romans were replaced in our lands by the Muslims, wine consumption declined, and would only regain its importance after the Christianization of our region, during the 20th century. XIII. Hence, the Roman Ruins of S. Cucufate (in the Municipality of Vidigueira) are the perfect bridge to understand the wine culture of the early 20th century. I up to our days, going through the Christianization of this national monument.
Reasons for quality
The high number of sunny days, the wide range of temperatures typically Mediterranean, the levels of rainfall along with the morphological characteristics of the land, make the Alentejo in general, and our region in particular, one of the best for growing vines.
Maturation takes place in a harmonic way, in a terroir that guarantees the success of the grape varieties planted here, with a natural highlight for the white Antão Vaz. This grape was named after this relative of Dom Vasco da Gama, who made it grow here and spread it.
But nowadays wines are made, first of all, with good grapes, and then, with good manufacturing processes. That is why the modernization of the methods and technologies used in our winery have given rise to the appearance of extraordinary wines, which win prizes and medals in the wine contests where they are present.
Grape varieties
If Vidigueira is known as the land of the “Whites of the Alentejo”, it is essentially due to the Antão Vaz grape variety, which in this area has found conditions to demonstrate exuberance and unique characteristics. But the whites from Vidigueira do not stop there, nor are they hostages to the Antão Vaz. Among the most used grape varieties are Síria, Arinto, Manteúdo, Rabo de Ovelha, and others with less expression such as Perrum, Larião, and even Verdelho.
Recognition
You really have to go back many years to find the records of the first trophy that Vidigueira’s wines won abroad. In the year 1888 (more than 130 years ago!), a
Vidigueira’s white wine won the Grand Medal of Honor at the Berlin Expo.
It was from Quinta das Relíquias that this white wine began a history of successes and awards that reach the present day. More than a century after this achievement, the ACVCA wines continue this saga. The whites from our winery, which have gone to many national and international competitions, invariably come back with awards and gold and silver medals, in what is the national and international recognition of the superior quality of our products.
A word for two unique white wines that are only available from our winery. We start with Perrum, a white grape variety that in Portugal is only planted in the Vidigueira sub-region, and which is fundamental in balancing the acidity of many of our wines. When we made a Perrum monocaste, we surprised the critics by the originality of our initiative and then by the special characteristics that this wine presents.
The other is the latest bet of the winery, which also from the Antão Vaz grape variety, decided to make a fortified white wine, which will henceforth be critically acclaimed.
But it is not only still wines that win awards. Following the great acceptance that sparkling wines have had around the world, the ACVCA has also launched itself with undeniable success in the production of this type of wine. Our last experience, to make a sparkling wine exclusively with the Antão Vaz grape variety, brought this wine back with a silver medal, in its first competition.
Vidigueira – The White of the Alentejo!
It is a set phrase, but it contains a knowledge, a reality, and an assumption. Everyone agrees that our whites are unequaled, for their perfume, their characteristics, and their bouquet. The Whites from Vidigueira are straw-colored, citrusy, fruity, slightly acidic, and with some body. White wines suitable for all occasions.
The days are longer, and the first heat is already being felt. At all times when socializing takes place, there are proposals from the Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba, and Alvito. After all, this is where “THE WHITE OF THE ALENTEJO!” is made.
