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News archives 2011.
All articles older than 1 to 3 months are entered in News archives. We start with a title list with accompanying dates. You will find the full articles by linking the titles.

Everybody was getting excited, because there was quite a strong wind around regatta-starting-time, but this wind proved to be extremely unstable and actually not from anywhere close to astern. Since sailing against the wind without longitudional stability (the barcos rebelos do not have a fin) is very difficult and the rudders are also not of the modern kind, some boats went sideways, some backwards and only very few in the direction they intended to go. Many boats had to be towed from the south side of the Douro to the North not to collide with the side-walls, resulting in quite a few dsiqualifications, as boats were not allowed to be towed forward in the direction of the finish line.

I had never seen a race where the position of the boats changed so rapidly. The overall result was that the Cálem-Boat won, two masts broke due to the unstable and very breezy wind, two people and a full bottle of Sandeman Founders Reserve went overboard (no permanent damages or losses except the bottle, which was very gentle replaced at the following dinner).

Overall, not what everybody expected, but extremely enjoyable.

IPW:
1. Cálem Quinta da Foz - Sogevinus.
2. Graham's Quinta dos Malvedos - Syminton F.E.
3. Robertson's Rebello Valente - Sogrape.

Brazilian Port Wine dictionary.
02/07/11. In 2003 Manuel Pintão and Carlos Cabral from São Paulo started a project for a Port dictionary. At the moment the book is being printed by Editora de Cultura. This monumental work contains 570 pages, 3,200 entries and about 500 illustrations.

The launch in Brazil will be between July 28^th and August 4^th . In São Paulo this will be in the Portuguese consulate, Salão do Instituto Camões and in Brasilia in the Portuguese embassy, in the auditorium and in the Instituto Camões.

The expected price is 98 Brazilian Reais or some 44 Euros. The distribution in Brazil will be done by Bookmix. De super market chain Pão de Açucar is the sponsor of the production and will have the book for sale in its 33 most important shops. Moreover it will be for sale in the largest Brazilian book shops.
The distribution in Portugal will be done by Dinalivros.
(Source: Revista de Vinhos online of 10/06/11.)

Labels and posters in Oporto.
02/07/11. Till July 17th the Associação Comercial do Porto together with the Museu do Douro organize an exhibition of Port Wine labels and posters in the Palácio da Bolsa in Oporto. This building is situated downtown next to the offices of the IVDP at 27 Rua de Ferreira Borges.

Churchill’s with own Port glass.
02/07/11. In May Churchill’s has launched an exclusive new Port glass. The company writes that the model was discovered amongst family treasures and, in collaboration with Schott Zwiesel, a tulip-shaped glass was created of Tritan Crystal, completely free of both lead and barium and 60% more resistent and long lasting than lead crystal. The glass will be engraved with the Churchill Graham Limitada logo.

The glass will be available at Churchill’s visitors' centre in Vila Nova de Gaia for 15 Euros.

“Almost” new Port book of J.P. Martins.

02/07/11. One of the greatest Portuguese Port experts, João Paulo Martins, amongst others writing for the wine magazine Revista de Vinhos, has marketed a new book. The title is O Prazer do Vinho do Porto (prazer = satisfaction, pleasure, enjoyment). The book is published by Editora Livros d’Hoje. The ISBN number of the Portuguese version is 9 789 722 046 619 and of the English version 9 789 722 046 619 (The Pleasure of Port). The price is 14 Euros.

The book is based on his A Wine Lover’s Guide to Port / Tudo Sobre o Vinho do Porto which was sponsored by the AEVP in January 2001 (see also: www.infoportwine.com/library.htm#Martins,_João_Paulo:_A_Wine_Lover's_Guide_to_Port.)
Martins wrote to us: “It is updated, with a new layout, new photos and an enormous revision on the text.”

IVDP events calendar as of July 2nd, 2011.
02/07/11. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Canada, France and the United States:

Canada:
. October 18th: Great Port Wine Tasting - The Design Exchange - Toronto.
. October 19th: Great Port Wine Tasting - Entrepôt Dominion - Montreal.
. October 20th: Great Port Wine Tasting - Le Germain Hotel - Calgary.

France:
. November 18th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.
. December 9th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.

United States:
. August 5th: Seminar "Perfect Port Parings" by Sandy Block, Master of Wine - Society of Wine Educators Annual Conference, 15.00-16.45 - Providence, Rhode Island.

See also: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?content=eventos

Revista de Vinhos no. 259, June 2011.
02/07/11. The June issue of the Portuguese wine magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:

Francisco Olazabal (Xito):
João Afonso interviewed the young Francisco Olazabal of Quinta de Vale Meão. His family tree mentions the names of Port- and Douro personalities like: Dona Antónia (Ferreirinha), Fernando Nicolau de Almeida and José António Rosas.
Olazabal is also known as the adviser winemaker of Q. do Vallado.
His Q. do Vale Meão Vintage 2008 is judged with 18 points out of 20.

Quinta da Veiga:
Samuel Alemão describes the tourist activities of this quinta hotel in Ferrão-Donelo, Pinhão. It accommodates eight rooms, of which seven with a fantastic view of the Douro. The prices are 120 Euros for couples and 90 Euro for singles in high season.
Alemão judges the activities with 16.5 points out of 20.

Newsletter problems?
02/07/11. We were never able to reach the e-mail address of one or two registrations for our Newsletter.
Some other mail addresses were initially attainable, but later on not anymore.

A possible solution for this problem is to add our address ipw@infoportwine.com to your address book or save list.
However, if these problems continue please always contact us.

Concurso Nacional de Vinhos 2011 - Santarém.
02/07/11. During the fifth Concurso Nacional de Vinhos (Engarrafados) in Santarém, Portugal from May 15^th to 18^th the Quinta da Romaneira Vintage 2008 won the first prize (1° Prémio) as highest scoring Prémio Prestige.

A Prémio Prestige went to the following Port products:
-      Messias Vintage 2007.
-      Vista Alegre (Vallegre) LBV 2005 Unfiltered.
-      Messias Colheita 1977.
-      Poças Pousada Colheita 1991.
-      Ferreira LBV 2007.
-      Vista Alegre Vintage 2008.

The award standards were: Prémio Prestige 94-100, Gold 89-94 and Silver 80-88 points.
The competition contained about 840 entries (in 2010: 705) of which some 25% won an award.
For more information and the other prizes see: http://www.cnema.pt/noticias_detail.php?aID=4183

Les Citadelles du Vin 2011 - Bourg sur Gironde.
02/07/11. During the eleventh edition of the Citadelles du Vin in Bourg sur Gironde near Bordeaux from May 28^th to 30^th awards were granted to the following Port products:

-      The Vista Alegre 40 Years Old Tawny (Vallegre): a Trophée Citadelles.
-      The Quinta da Gaivosa (Domingos Alves de Sousa): a Trophée Citadelles.
-      The Vista Alegre LBV 2005: a Trophée Excellence.
-      The Vista Alegre Colheita 1997: a Trophée Prestige.

This CduV 2011 was under the patronage of the OIV.
We did not succeed in finding out the award standards.
The competition contained 899 entries of which 29% won an award.
For more information see: http://www.citadellesduvin.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4&Itemid=15&tmpl=recherche&annee=2011

Concurso de Vinhos Douro & Porto 2011 - Régua.
02/07/11. On June 1^st the first Concurso de Vinhos Douro & Porto was organized by Nervir and the IVDP in Peso da Régua. The results were announced during the fifth edition of the Festa do Vinho, Produtos Regionais & Turismo from June 2^nd to 5^th .

The Colheita 1966 of Messias was one of the two winners of an Excellent Gold Medal.

Gold Medals went to the following Port products:
-      Quinta do Infantado LBV 2007.
-      Q. Seara d’Ordens LBV 2005.
-      Caves Vale do Rodo Réccua 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Rozès Vintage 2008.

The medal standards were: Gold 88-100 points and Silver 80-87.99 points.
The competition contained more than 120 entries of which about 28% won a medal.
For more information and the silver medals see:
http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?content=destaque&cod=373 and
http://www.ivdp.pt/pt/docs/Premiados%20Concurso%20de%20vinhos%20Douro%20e%20Porto.pdf

Sélection Mondiales des Vins Canada 2011.
02/07/11. During the eightteenth Sélection Mondiales des Vins Canada in Quebec from May 31^st to June 6^th Gold Medals were awarded to the following Port Wine products:

-      Delaforce His Eminence’s Choice 10 Years Old Tawny (Real Companhia Velha).
-      Kopke 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Krohn Colheita 1983.
-      Poças LBV 2005.

The SMVC 2011 was under the patronage of the OIV.
The medal standards were: Great Gold at least 92 points, Gold at least 85 points and Silver at least 82 points.
The competition contained 1,620 entries from 32 countries (in 2010: 1.789) of which rather more than 31% won a medal.
For more information and the other medals see: http://www.smvcanada.ca/resultats.aspx?L=E

Sogrape honours Dona Antónia with micro credits.
04/06/11. This year marks the 200 years anniversary of the legendary Antónia Adelaide Ferreira or Ferreirinha was born. This charismatic woman dedicated her entire life to the Douro region and to Port Wine. Sogrape (Sandeman, Ferreira and Offley) already offers the Dona Antónia Reserva Tawny as a homage.

To honour the special entrepreneurship of Ferreirinha, Sogrape organizes the campaign “Ajude quem precisa” (Help for those who need it) from April 1^st to September 30^th . Each month the ANDC, the Associação Nacional de Direito ao Crédito, jointly with Sogrape, chooses five canditate projects. Out of these five, three projects have a chance to win a prize of 2,500 Euros.
The winners are determined by Portuguese consumers through the special website http://www.donaantonia200anos.eu/agecheck Upon registration on this website they have to type in a code found on the neck label of a bottle of the brands Ferreira or Casa Ferreirinha. By this means they also draw lots for prizes of 1,000 Euros.

Vintages 2009 (2).
04/06/11. Changes and additions printed in italics.
The two largest Port groups have taken radically different decisions regarding their 2009 Vintages.

As per tradition the Fladgate Partnership announced on April 23rd (Dia de São Jorge/St George's Day) that they will declare classic Vintages from their brands Taylor's, Fonseca and Croft. Adrian Bridge, TFP's CEO, said: "We have seldom seen four outstanding Vintages come along in a decade." And head winemaker David Guimaraens added: "We haven't seen colour intensity and tannic grip like this in over twenty years."
The group created a seperate website, including a blog, for this Vintage: http://www.2009vintageport.com/
It is the fourth declaration in this decade for TFP: 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2009. No year with a 9 has ever been generally declared.

The Symington Family Estates will not declare classic Vintages except a special 500 cases of Warre's (numbered bottles, 4 English pounds per bottle for Help for Heroes, the UK charity for wounded veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, to commemorate the liberation of Oporto in May 1809). Paul Symington told to Decanter.com: "It was an extremely dry year, with 31% less rain than normal." and "We had high alcohol levels and unripe tannins, so for our properties we believe that it is not right to declare 2009."

Niepoort will declare a classic Vintage. Dirk van der N. said to Decanter.com: "I think it is the best Vintage I have ever made."

Sogrape (Sandeman, Ferreira, Offley) wrote to us that they will not declare any 2009 Vintage, not even Single Quinta Vintages.
The same goes for Quevedo.

Sogevinus (Kopke, Burmester, Cálem, Barros, Gilberts) wrote that they will only release Single Quinta Vintages of Kopke and Burmester.

The Fladgate Partnership:
- Taylor's.
- Taylor's Vargellas Vinha Velha.
- Fonseca.
- Croft.
- Skeffington.
A limited edition of double magnums (4 x 75cl) will be released of Taylor’s, Fonseca and Croft.

The Symington Family Estates:
For sale now:
- Warre's. See above.
- Quinta do Vesuvio.
- Dow's Q. da Senhora da Ribeira.
Not for sale now:
- Dow's Q. do Bomfim.
- Graham's Q. dos Malvedos.
- Cockburn's Q. dos Canais (so called Library stock, very small quantity which will never be released commercially, is used for tastings.

Sogevinus (Kopke, Burmester, Cálem, Barros, Gilberts):
- Kopke Q. S. Luiz.
- Burmester Q. do Arnozelo.

Others:
- Niepoort. It was possible to order 3 and 5 litres bottles in the UK till May 16^th .
- Ramos Pinto.
- Wine & Soul Pintas (Jorge Borges and Sandra Tavares).
- Churchill's Q. da Gricha.
- Q. do Vale Dona Maria.

New label Poças Lágrima.
04/06/11. The very sweetest white Port version of Poças, their Lágrima (Lágrima = tear, also Lagrima de Cristo) has a new label which combines modern with old. The IVDP gives the following information on its website:

In terms of sweetness, Port Wine can be very sweet, sweet, semi-dry, dry or extra dry. It is the winemaker who determines just how sweet a Port Wine will be according to when he interrupts the fermentation. The following table describes the different degrees of sweetness of several types of Port Wine.

Sweetness	Volumetric mass	*Baumé	Sugars (g/l)
Extra dry	< 0,9980 g/cm3	0,0	<40
Dry	de 0,9980 g/cm3 a 1,0079 g/cm3	0,0 – 1,3	40 – 65
Semi dry	de 1,0080 g/cm3 a 1,0179 g/cm3	1,4 – 2,7	65 – 90
Sweet	de 1,0180 g/cm3 a 1,0339 g/cm3	2,8 – 5,0	90 – 130
Very sweet	> 1,0340 g/cm3	>5,0	>130

Sales numbers January - March 2011.
04/06/11. The sales results in 2011 have dropped steeply from slightly positive in January to dramatically bad in March. The latest numbers (export + Portugal) of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto (IVDP) are as follows:

- the volume of all Port sold decreased by 8.5%.
- the revenue of all Port sold decreased by 11.1%.

- the volume of the Standard Ports sold decreased by 7.1%.
- the revenue of the Standard Ports sold decreased by 7.6%.

- the volume of the Special Categories/Premium Ports sold decreased by 15.3%.
- the revenue of the Special Categories/Premium Ports sold decreased by 17.8%.

We did not succeed in getting comments of the IVDP (in time).

IVDP events calendar as of June 4th, 2011.
04/06/11. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Brasil, Canada and France:

Brasil:
. June 27th: Seminar with Douro wines and Port Wines - Restaurante Salitre Ipanema - Rio de Janeiro.
. June 28th: Great Tasting of Douro wines and Port Wines - Hotel Sheraton Rio - Rio de Janeiro.
. June 29th: Seminar with Douro wines and Port Wines - Brasília.
. June 30th: Great Tasting of Douro wines and Port Wines - Hotel Naoum Plaza - Brasília.

France:
. July 19th-23rd: Vinexpo - Parque des Expositions - Bordeaux.
. July 20th: Seminar Port Cocktails - Vinexpo - Hall 1.
. July 22th: Seminar Ruby versus Tawny - Vinexpo - Hall 1.
. November 18th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.
. December 9th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.

See also: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?content=eventos

Revista de Vinhos no. 258, May 2011.
04/06/11. The May issue of the Portuguese wine magazine Revista de Vinhos contains no news on Port Wine.

Cocktail competition with George Sandeman.
04/06/11. During the Tales of the Cocktail in New Orleans from July 20^th to 24^th a Port Cocktail Competition will be organized. The organizers write: “Before prohibition, Porto was used as a standard ingredient in cocktails, but has since gotten lost in the flurry of new liqueurs and cocktail creations.” The competition is open to bartenders from Georgia, New Jersey and Illinois. One of the three jury members is George Sandeman of Sogrape (Ferreira, Offley and Sandeman).
For more information see: http://www.talesofthecocktail.com/ and https://spreadsheets.google.com/a/talesofthecocktail.com/viewform?formkey=dHo5Z2o4UDUtMEtFTjQ1NFgtOXUtUUE6MQ&ndplr=1

International Wine Guide 2011.
04/06/11. During the second edition of the International Wine Guide in Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain, Quinta do Pégo won two medals for Port products:
- Great Gold for their Vintage 2006.
- Gold for their LBV 2006.

The medal standards were: Great Gold 95-100, Gold 90-94, Silver 85-89 and Bronze 80-84.
The competition contained 2,368 entries of which 30.4% won a medal.
The International Wine Guide competition was created by Jorge Martinez, an agricultural engineer, and was organized by Catavinum.
For more information see: http://www.internationalwineguide.net/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=30&Itemid=51

Decanter World Wine Awards 2011.
04/06/11. During the English Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) from April 11^th to 15^th Regional Trophy’s were awarded to the following Port products:
-      The Smith Woodhouse LBV 2000 Unfiltered won the “Port over £10 Trophy”.
-      The Sandeman 30 Years Old Tawny won the “Tawny Port over £10 Trophy”.
-      The Warre’s Vintage 1980 won the “Vintage Port over £10 Trophy”.

Gold medals were granted to the:
-      Cockburn’s LBV 2006.
-      Dow’s 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Graham’s 30 Years Old Tawny.
-      Graham’s LBV 2006.
-      Graham’s Crusted 2003.
-      Kopke Colheita 1938.
-      Marks & Spencer 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Ramos Pinto Vintage 2007.
-      Sandeman 40 Years Old Tawny.
-      Tesco Finest 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Vista Alegre Vintage 2008.

We did not succeed in finding out the medal standards.
The competition contained 12,252 entries (in 2010: 10,983) from 44 countries, of which almost 68% (!) won a medal **.
For more information and the many other awards see: http://www.decanter.com/dwwa/2011/

** Adam Lechnere wrote on Decanter.com that almost 70% won an award, but this will probably include the Trophies that have not yet published all. This extreme high percentage has to be compared with the OIV standard of a maximum of 30%. See our article: www.infoportwine.com/wine_competitions_generally.htm last paragraph.

International Wine Challenge 2011.
04/06/11. During the English International Wine Challenge (IWC) from April 11^th to 21^st gold medals were awarded to the following Port products:
-      Dalva Colheita 1952 Golden White.
-      Vasconcellas 20 Years Old Tawny.
-      Quinta da Gaivosa Vintage 2008.
-      Barros Colheita 1978.
-      Andresen Colheita 1982.
-      Dow’s 30 Years Old Tawny.
-      Graham’s 30 Years Old Tawny.
-      Graham’s 40 Years Old Tawny.
-      Graham’s Q. dos Malvedos Vintage 2006.
-      Graham’s Vintage 1983.
-      Warre’s Q. da Cavadinha Vintage 1996.
-      Warre’s Q. da Cavadinha Vintage 2006.
-      Warre’s Vintage 1980.
-      Q. da Romaneira Vintage 2008.
-      Q. do Tedo Vintage 2007.
-      Offley 30 Years Old Tawny.
-      Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny.
-      Vista Alegre Vintage 2008.

The medal standards were: Gold 95+, Silver 90-95, Bronze 85-89 and Commended 80-84.
The competition contained “over 12,000” entries (in 2010 “well over 10.000”), of which   “just over 5,000” won a medal, or about 42%.
For more information and the other awards see: http://www.internationalwinechallenge.com/Tradesearch.aspx We have to note that any search done on this site gives changing results when using different approaches. The list above comes straight from the organizer.

International Wine and Spirit Competition 2011.
04/06/11. During the English International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC, since 1969) werden Best in Class Gold Awards were granted to the following Port products:
-      Marks & Spencer Reserve.
-      Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny.
-      Sandeman 30 Years Old Tawny.
-      Sandeman 40 Years Old Tawny.
-      Offley 10 Years Old Tawny.

The Product Trophies, Producer Trophies and the People Trophies will be announced later on.

The medal standards were: Gold Best in Class 90-100, Gold 80-90, Silver 80-89,9 en Bronze 75-79,9.
The entry numbers are still unknown because the competition for the southern hemisphere is not yet closed.

For more information and the other awards see: http://www.iwsc.net/search2010/wine/

AMPV Awards 2011.
04/06/11. On May 2^nd the annual awards of the Portuguese Association of Wine Municipalities (Associação De Municípios Portuguese do Vinho) were presented for the fourth time. The award “Personality of the Year” went to Luís Ramos Lopes, the director of the Portuguese wine magazine Revista de Vinhos, due to the merits of the magazine regarding the wine and the viniculture in Portugal.
The award “Institution of the Year” went to the University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro (UTAD).
For more information see: http://ampv-vinopolis.blogspot.com/2011/05/associacao-de-municipios-portugueses-do.html

Ultimate Wine Challenge 2011.
04/06/11. During the second Ultimate Wine Challenge in New York from May 2^nd to 6^th the Chairman’s Trophy in de category Fortified/Aromatized-Porto/Portugal was awarded to the Taylor’s 20 Years Old Tawny with 93 points. All 13 participators in this category were of The Fladgate Partnership.
The competition contained almost 600 entries (in 2010: almost 500).
For more information see: http://www.ultimate-beverage.com/wine_reviews/wine-2011-results/#category_4

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2011.
04/06/11. During the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (since 1994) in Luxemburg from May 6^th to 8^th gold medals were granted to the following Port products:
-      Offley 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Poças Colheita 1994.
-      Sandeman 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Sandeman 40 Years Old Tawny.

We did not succeed in finding out the medal standards.
The competition contained 7,386 entries (in 2010: 6,964) from 49 countries, of which a little more than 29% won a medal.
For more information and the other awards see: http://www.concoursmondial.com/en/results.html
In 2012 this competition will be organized in Guimarães, Portugal from May 4^th to 6^th .

Vintages 2009.
07/05/11. The two largest Port groups have taken radically different decisions on their 2009 Vintages.

The Fladgate Partnership taditionally announced on April 23rd (Dia de São Jorge/St George's Day) that they will declare classic Vintages from their brands Taylor's, Fonseca and Croft. Adrian Bridge, TFP's CEO, said: "We have seldom seen four outstanding Vintages come along in a decade." And head winemaker David Guimaraens added: "We haven't seen colour intensity and tannic grip like this in over twenty years."
The group created a seperate website, including a blog, for this Vintage: http://www.2009vintageport.com/
It is the fourth declaration in this decade for TFP: 2000, 2003, 2007 and 2009. No year with a 9 has ever been generally declared.

The Symington Family Estates will not declare classic Vintages except a special 500 cases of Warre's (numbered bottles, 4 English pounds per bottle for Help for Heroes, the UK charity for wounded veterans of the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq). Paul Symington told to Decanter.com: "It was an extremely dry year, with 31% less rain than normal." and "We had high alcohol levels and unripe tannins, so for our properties we believe that it is not right to declare 2009."

Niepoort will declare a classic Vintage. Dirk van der N. said to Decanter.com: "I think it is the best Vintage I have ever made."

Sogrape (Sandeman, Ferreira, Offley) wrote to us that they will not declare any 2009 Vintage, not even Single Quinta Vintages.

Sogevinus (Kopke, Burmester, Cálem, Barros, Gilberts) wrote that they will only release Single Quinta Vintages of Kopke and Burmester.

The Fladgate Partnership:
- Taylor's.
- Taylor's Vargellas Vinha Velha.
- Fonseca.
- Croft.

The Symington Family Estates:
- Warre's.
- Quinta do Vesuvio.
- Dow's Q. da Senhora da Ribeira.
- Dow's Q. do Bomfim.
- Graham's Q. dos Malvedos.
- Cockburn's Q. dos Canais.

Sogevinus (Kopke, Burmester, Cálem, Barros, Gilberts):
- Kopke Q. S. Luiz.
- Burmester Q. do Arnozelo.

Others:
- Niepoort.
- Ramos Pinto.
- Wine & Soul Pintas (Jorge Borges and Sandra Tavares).
- Churchill's Q. da Gricha.

French decoration for António Saraiva (incl. Rozès).
07/05/11. On March 11^th the French Order of Merit in Agriculture was presented to António Saraiva (1956), the president of the Board of Vranken-Pommery Monopole Portugal (with the Port brands Rozès, São Pedro das Águias and Terras do Grifo). The ceremony took place in the AEVP premises in Oporto (organization of large shippers). Saraiva was appointed “Chevalier dans l’Ordre du Mérite Agricole” because of his passion and commitment to the promotion of Port Wine and the protection of the Região Demarcada do Douro in France. The decoration was granted on behalf of the French president by the Minister for Food, Agriculture and Fisheries. The ceremony was performed by Aude de Amorim, the French Consul General in Oporto who Saraiva recognized as the Port ambassador to France.

Saraiva, who considers France to be his second homeland, confessed that he was greatly moved by this decoration and that he will do everything to prove himself worthy of this honour.

The ceremony took place in the presence of Luís Vieira, Portuguese Secretary of State; Paul-François Vranken president of VPM; Vilhena Pereira, president of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto; representatives of many Portuguese organizations and all managers of the French group.

Vilhena Pereira emphasized that this international recognition honours the Port sector and the wine sector generally and is an example for all Portuguese at a moment when we need to raise our self-esteem.

António Saraiva is a descendant of a winegrower’s family in the Douro region. He studied in France and received his “Licenciatura em Enologia e Provas” at the University of Bordeaux in 1978. After returning to Portugal he began a work placement at the IVDP, undertook the development of the family estates and became a consultant to various producers in the region.

In 1988 he started working as a winemaker for the Vranken group in Portugal. In 1998 he became Director-general of São Pedro das Águias. Finally he supervised there the merger process with Rozès and from 2002 he has been the President of the Board of the Vranken group in Portugal.
Additional functions:
Saraiva was director of the AEVP for six years before he became president of this organization in January 2010.
From July 2010 he has been vice president of the Inter-professional Council of the IVDP.

Two books of Niepoort - Vinhos.
07/05/11. As a result of the Gourmand Award for Ruby Dum & Tawny Dee (see here) we came in the possession of two special books, (also) published by Niepoort.

Ruby Dum & Tawny Dee is a comic, in a completely individual style, drawn and explained by the Portuguese artist Regina Pessoa (Publ. Edições Afrontamento-Oporto and Niepoort; 2009; ISBN 978-972-36-1015-4; meas. 185 x 295 x 7 mm; 28 pages-hardcover). She did not know much about Port until she met the Niepoort people and was completely initiated. This new knowledge brought her to a story based on Alice in Wonderland. After the twins Tweedledum and Tweedledee Pessoa created Ruby Dum who represents the Ruby, LBV and Vintage types and Tawny Dee who portrays the (Aged) Tawnies and Colheitas.
Her particular story is initially rather mysterious because the drawings have to make do without text. But in the back of the book Pessoa gives a report of her acquaintance with Port Wine and an explanation of her creation which brings the story to life (in four languages: Portuguese, English, French and German). Other characters from Alice in Wonderland also turn up and finally blend with the Niepoort community.
It is a magnificent and unique book that deserves its place in any Port library.
The book together with small bottles of Dum and Dee is available in gift packaging for a consumer price of 40 to 50 Euros.
See for it: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H5oD4T-YVWA
For more information on this project see: http://www.niepoortland.com/
For a PDF version of the book see: http://developers-box.org/verena/transfer/RubyDum&TawnyDeeinNiePOoRTland.pdf
For Regina Pessoa see: http://www.ciclopefilmes.com/regina-pessoa

The soul of Niepoort or the Niepoort Almanac is a label catalogue of especially their table wines (Publ. Niepoort; ISBN 978-989-8313-04-1; meas. 210 x 330 x 9 mm; 66 pages-ring binder). The labels have been reproduced in three groups against wine- and wine bgrowing related backgrounds. The third and largest group - Fabulous – is formed by the by now renowned comics made for different countries by artists from these countries. Dirk van der Niepoort once said of this series: “These comics are a marketing success but a logistic nightmare.” Artistically this volume reminds us of the designs for posters, advertisements and labels of Ramos Pinto from the first decades of the twentieth century.
For more information and the online sales of this book see: http://www.niepoort-vinhos.com/en/almanac/

Restaurant campaign Churchill’s.
07/05/11. Churchill’s, jointly with some restaurants throughout the country, has started a special campaign in Portugal to encourage clients to combine their desserts with Port Wine. For that new 20cl bottles are placed on the table, as a decoration and as an invitation. The front label of the bottles has a small blank space for any personal messages. The empty bottles may be taken home. The Port is available as Reserve Ruby or as Reserve White.
In The Netherlands this campaign will be introduced by the Port & Wine Company in Utrecht.

First Quinta dos Murças Port.
07/05/11. Late 2008 it was announced that Quinta dos Murças had been bought by Finagra. Now the first Port of QdosM has been marketed, a 10 Years Old Tawny.

Finagra is best known for its quinta and brand Herdade do Esperão (Alentejo). When buying QdosM there were plans for substantial investments in planting of vineyards and a new winery. See also our News item of 06/12/08: Quinta dos Murças sold to Finagra/Herdade do Esperão.

QdosM is situated on the north bank of the Douro in freguesia Covelinhas (Concelho Peso da Régua) and can be seen clearly from the road on the south bank between Régua and Pinhão. The area of this quinta is 156 hectares of which 60 hectares contain vineyards class A.

Sales numbers entire 2010 (2).
07/05/11. On 26 February 26th we published the most important sales numbers for 2010 (see here). Now we give a survey of the numbers of the most important countries:

The Top Ten in volume for all Port sold were:
1.    France 28.5%; -0.7%.
2.    Netherlands 14.2%; +9%.
3.    Portugal 14%; +9.6%.
4.    Belgium 12.5%; +2.8%.
5.    United Kingdom 10.4%; -2.6%.
6.    Germany 4%; -22.1%.
7.    United States 3.9%; +6.8%.
8.    Canada 2.1%; +3.9%.
9.    Denmark 2.1%; +49.2%.
10. Spain 1.3%; -4.1%.

The Top Ten in revenue for all Port sold were:
1.    France 23.3%; -1%.
2.    Portugal 14.9%; +6.4%.
3.    Netherlands 11.7%; +9.7%.
4.    United Kingdom 11.4%; +1.6%.
5.    Belgium 10.6%; +2.2%.
6.    United States 6.5%; +9.7%.
7.    Canada 4.3%; +15.5%.
8.    Denmark 3.6%; +82.4%.
9.    Germany 3.5%; -18.6%.
10. Spain 1.4%; -4.4%.

The Top Ten in volume for the Special Categories/Premium Ports were:
1.    United Kingdom 30.56%; +6.6%.
2.    France 12.64%; +3.8%.
3.    United States 11.9%; +9.5%.
4.    Portugal 10.02%; +2%.
5.    Canada 7.9%; +2.7%.
6.    Netherlands 6.92%; +36.9%.
7.    Denmark 5.96%; +143.5%.
8.    Belgium 4.21%; +9.8%.
9.    Germany 2.34%; +11.2%.
10. Brazil 0.81%; +36.9%.

The Top Ten in revenue for the Special Categories/Premium Ports were:
1.    United Kingdom 21.96%; +8.4%.
2.    United States 13.57%; +11.1%.
3.    Portugal 13.56%; +0.5%.
4.    France 10.61%; +1%.
5.    Canada 9.93%; +14%.
6.    Denmark 7.99%; +133%.
7.    Netherlands 6.79%; +34.5%.
8.    Belgium 3.99%; +3.2%.
9.    Germany 1.99%; -1.1%.
10. Brazil 1.07%; +50.9%.

For more information see: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?codPag=73&codSeccao=6&idioma=0

IVDP events calendar as of May 7^th , 2011.
07/05/11. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Canada, France, Portugal and Spain:

Canada:
. October 18th: Great Port Wine Tasting - The Design Exchange - Toronto.
. October 19th: Great Port Wine Tasting - Espace Griffintown - Montreal.
. October 20th: Great Port Wine Tasting - Le Germain Hotel - Calgary.

France:
. May 11th-22nd: Festival Cinema de Cannes - Plage Majestic, Cannes.
. November 18th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.
. December 9th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.

Portugal:
. June 1st - Port and Douro Wines Competition - Museu do Douro - Peso da Régua.

Spain:
. May 17th - Tasting with Top Chef - Restaurant Tristán (1* Michelin) - Palma de Mallorca.
. May 18th - Hotel School de les Illes Balears - Palma de Mallorca.
. May 18th - Tasting Asoc. Sumillerers de Mallorca - Hotel School de les Illes Balears - Palma de Mallorca.
. May 19th - Tasting with Top Chef - Restaurant Denia (2* Michelin) - Denia, Alicante.

See also: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?content=eventos

Revista de Vinhos no. 257, April 2011.
07/05/11. The April issue of the Portuguese wine magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:

New product:
The Krohn Colheita 2000 got 16.5 points out of 20 from the editorial staff.

Interview Daniel Llose:
João Paulo Martins interviewed the French winemaker/consultant Daniel Llose. Among his employers are Lynch-Bages and AXA Millésimes in regions like the Médoc, Sauternes, Tokay and the Douro.
Working for Quinta do Noval and Q. da Romaneira he notes how different the wines of these two companies are though they are made by the same team and with the same methods. At Romaneira there is a larger homogeneity, at Noval there is more power, more variety.

Fonseca/Taylor’s:
Luís Lopes describes the launching of some new products of the Portuguese distributor Heritage Wines. He judged the Port Wines as follows:
-      Fonseca Quinta do Panascal Vintage 2001 with 17.5 points.
-      Fonseca Guimaraens Vintage 2001 with 18.5 points.
-      Taylor’s Vargellas Vintage 2001 with 18 points.

New competition for Port and Douro wines.
The IVDP (Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto) and the employers' organization Nervir will organize a new competition for Port and Douro wines. Entry is possible till May 20th. The judgment will be in Peso da Régua on June 1st, previous to the sixth edition of the Festa do Vinho from June 2nd to 5th.
More information can be found at: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?content=destaque&cod=373

Wine Masters Challenge 2011 - Estoril.
07/05/11. During the thirteenth Wine Masters Challenge in Estoril, Portugal from March 21^st to 27^th the Rozés Quinta do Pégo LBV 2006 won a gold medal (... points?).
The competition contained 5,103 entries (in 2010: 4,497). 3,080 wines of these got through to the finals. Only 217 wines won a medal (or 4,25%).
For more information and the other medals see: http://www.winemasterschallenge.com/resultados/res2011pt.htm

Challenge International du Vin 2011 - Bordeaux.
07/05/11. During the 35^th Challenge International du Vin in Bourg & Blaye on April 8^th and 9^th gold medals (... points?) were awarded to the following Port Wine products:
-      Krohn Colheita 1983.
-      Ferreira Duque de Bragança 10 Years Old Tawny.
The competition contained 4,624 entries of which 28.22% won a medal (in 2010: 4,435 and 27,5%).
For more information and the other medals see: http://www.challengeduvin.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=23&tmpl=recherche-en&annee=2011&Itemid=52

Monde Sélection 2011 - België.
07/05/11. Monde Sélection in Wauthier-Braine-Belgium again organized its Concours International des Vins. The following Port products won a gold medal (85-91 points):
-      CCVP Vasconcellos 40 Years Old Tawny.
-      Rozès Vintage 2008.
-      Vallegre Vista Alegre Colheita 1996.
The competition contained 457 entries (in 2010: 402) of which maximum 30% could win a medal.
The Concours was under the patronage of the OIV.
For more information and the other medals see: http://www.monde-selection.com/en/7.0_Awards_Results/7.2_International_Wine_Contest/7.2.5_Results_2011/7.2.5_Wine_Results_2011.asp#Portugal

Prémio de Arquitectura do Douro 2010/2011.
07/05/11. The third edition of the Prémio de Arquitectura do Douro went to the warehouse of Quinta do Portal in Sabrosa. The building that also contains an auditorium and a visitors centre, was designed by the Portuguese architect Álvaro Siza Vieira.

A honourable mention went to the renovation and extension of Q. do Vallado in Vilarinho de Freires near Peso da Régua. This project was designed by the architect Francisco Vieira de Campos.

This biannual architecture concours is organized by the Estrutura de Missão para a Região Demarcada do Douro.
For more information see: http://www.ccr-norte.pt/pagina.php?p=334

Villar d’Allen 20 Years Old Tawny, a collector’s item?
09/04/11. In our News of February 26^th we already reported the re-launch of the old family brand Villar d’Allen. The website http://villardallenwines.com/ offers attractive information.

Their first product is a 20 Years Old Tawny in an edition of 500 bottles made in the style of Villar d’Allen by and from the cellars of Cláudia and Óscar Quevedo. The price is 45 Euros. Mr. Tomás Allen wrote to us that he is able to ship directly to consumers. The mail address is info@villardallen.com

Villar d’Allen is hoping to market also a 10 Years Old Tawny and a 10 Years Old White this year.

Axel Probst about Pink Ports.
09/04/11. The German Port promoter Axel Probst has published an excellent article on the still controversial Rosé Ports. In his preface and afterword he gives good information.
He judged twelve Rosé’s. The winners are Croft, Kopke and Quevedo with 15 points. At the bottom of the list we find Quinta das Lamelas and Poças with 12 points.
His article in German can be found at: http://worldofport.de/Download/05_PINK.pdf

American online shop portwine2u.
09/04/11. We have published for almost ten years on Port Wine and have seen very much information from the US, but we did not know www.portwine2u.com at all. Nevertheless the company of Mark da Silva has existed for almost five years. He offers a large amount of Ports and some Madeiras. The information on the site is brief but good.

It is again amazing to see which enormous shipping limitations exist inside the USA. And this for a country that wants to be the champion of free enterprise and sues everybody who raises any trade barrier.

Links pages:
We have made a new group 3. Online (Port Wine) shops. on our Links pages.

Second bottling Graham’s Colheita 1961.
09/04/11. Late 2010 Graham’s has marketed 712 hand-numbered bottles of their Colheita 1961. It was indicated by them as a Single Harvest Tawny. The wine came from the first of three casks/pipas of 550 litres which in the annual test proved to be suitable to be launched as a fifty-years-old one. The consumer’s price is about 250 Euros.

Sales went so well that on March 9^th the second cask was also bottled and the bottling of the third cask is being prepared.

Special tasting during Portuguese congress.
09/04/11. The congress the First International Wine Meeting and Tasting (Primeiro Encontro e Prova Internacional de Vinho) was organized in Celorico da Beira near Guarda from March 17^th to 19^th . The congress theme was: Portuguese wines “New challenges and Strategies”. Special guests were Jancis Robinson, Tim Atkin, Sarah Ahmed and Jamie Goode.
One of the program parts was a tasting with 40 old and rare Moscatel, Madeira, Vintage Port and Tawny Port wines. The jury consisted of nine sommeliers filled up with Tim Atkin, Sarah Ahmed and Jamie Goode.

The Top 3 of the Vintages was:
1.    Ferreira Garrafeira (!) 1863.
2.    Borges Vintage 1963.
3.    Dow’s Vintage 1980.

The Top 3 of the Tawny’s/Colheita’s was:
1.    Andresen Colheita 1910.
2.    Poças Colheita 1964.
3.    Kopke Colheita 1937.

Sarah Ahmed, the Wine Detective, published an extensive report on this tasting at: http://www.thewinedetective.co.uk/blog/featured/40-old-rare-fortified-wines-a-unique-tasting/

IVDP Solar in Lisbon renewed.
09/04/11. On February 3^rd the Solar do Vinho do Porto in Lisbon, one of the three comfortable pubs of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto, was officially re-opened after a complete internal renovation. The design is of Paulo Lobo. The original tile pictures, the azulejos, were maintained. Photographs of the result can be found at: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?codPag=169&codSeccao=&idioma=0

The Solar is situated in the former Palácio de S. Pedro de Alcântara at the Rua São Pedro de Alcântara 45 in the district of Bairo Alto. The Port Wine pub has been here for 65 years, to be exact since February 19^th , 1946 and has never been closed in this period. There you can taste over 300 Port products of more than 60 producers (most in glass, the Vintages a bottle).

85% of the visitors come from abroad. The opening hours are from Monday to Saturday from 11.00 to 24.00 and on Saturday from 14.00 to 24.00. The Solar is closed on Sundays and holidays. You can reach the building from the Praça dos Restauradores where you can go up with the Elevador da Glória.
See also: Round trip 2. Solares.

Visitors centre Porto Cruz in Gaia.
09/04/11. The French brand Porto Cruz, especially oriented on the French market and on to France related countries, will set up a visitors centre in an existing building at the Largo Miguel Bombarda in Vila Nova de Gaia. The centre will get an area of almost 1,000 square meters and comprises four floors and a terrace with panoramic views. In the building there will be space for the exposition, the tasting and the sales of their products, a small auditorium for conferences and other events and a room for multimedia presentations about Port. The project is to be ready around September 1^st , 2011.
See for Porto Cruz: http://www.porto-cruz.com/agegate.php

The design of the space is from the architects Valentim and Miguel Miranda. The construction will be done by Lúcius – Egenharia e Construção. The construction costs are about 1.3 million Euros, the total costs some 3 million Euros.

Visitors record Sogrape in 2010.
09/04/11. In 2010 around 250,000 visitors have visited the several Sogrape centres, an increase of about 15% compared to last year. It concerns the cellars of Sandeman, Ferreira and Offley and Quinta do Seixo (Sandeman) between Régua and Pinhão. The visitors come particularly from Portugal, France, Spain, Brasil, England and Italy, but also from the Far East, Russia and Scandinavia.
For more information see also: Round trip 3. Lodges.
Sogrape expects that all visits to the cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia in 2010 will show an increase of about 6% to some 700,000.

IVDP events calendar as of April 9^th , 2011.
09/04/11. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in Canada en France:

Canada:
. April 27th: Hotel Schools in Canada - Institut du Tourisme e d'Hôtellerie du Quebec.
. October 18th: Great Port Wine Tasting - The Design Exchange - Toronto.
. October 19th: Great Port Wine Tasting - Espace Griffintown - Montreal.
. October 20th: Great Port Wine Tasting - Le Germain Hotel - Calgary.

France:
. November 18th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.
. December 9th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.

See also: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?content=eventos

Revista de Vinhos no. 256, March 2011.
09/04/11. The March issue of the Portuguese wine magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:

Quinta dos Murças:
Herdade do Esperão, the famous brand from the Alentejo, has marketed its first wines of Quinta dos Murças from the Douro. The temporary only Port is a 10 Years Old Tawny which gets 16.5 points out of 20 from the editorial staff.

Enoteca Quinta da Avessada:
Samuel Alemão describes the wine museum and sales centre Q. da Avessada in Favaios. He rates their many activities with 19 points out of 20. See also our News item of 02/08/08: Large tourism project in Favaios.

Berliner Wein Trophy 2011.
09/04/11. During the fifteenth Berliner Wein Trophy from February 3^rd to 6^th Berlin Gold Trophies (85 - 91 points) were awarded to the following Port products:
-      Dow’s LBV 2003.
-      Graham’s Six Grapes.
-      Kopke 20 Years Old Tawny.
-      Kopke 30 Years Old Tawny.
-      Poças Colheita 2000.
-      Quinta da Gaivosa 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Q. da Gaivosa Vintage 2008.
-      Smith Woodhouse LBV 1999.
-      Warre’s LBV 2001.
We did not succeed in finding out the number of entries and medals.
This competition was under the patronage of the OIV.
For more information and the other Trophies see: http://www.berliner-wein-trophy.de/ergebnisse_2011.aspx?lang=en

Portuguese Tourism Awards 2010.
09/04/11. On February 24^th the awards of the sixth edition of the Prémios Turismo de Portugal were presented during the Bolsa de Turismo in Lisbon. This competition is organized by Turismo de Portugal, a government organization, and knows nine categories.
In the category New Public Project an honourable mention went to Museu do Côa in Vila Nova de Foz Côa. See: Round trip 11. Archaeology and palaeolithic art.
For more information about this competition see: http://www.turismodeportugal.pt/premios2010/default.aspx?content=193

Vinalies Internationales 2011.
09/04/11. During the Vinalies Internationales (VI) in Paris from February 25^th to March 1^st gold medals ( …… points) were granted to the following Port products:
-      Caves Vale do Rodo Tawny Azul. *)
-      Ferreira Reserva Dona Antonia.
-      Krohn Colheita 1966.
-      Maynard’s 10 Years Old Tawny.
-      Rozès Vintage 2008.
-      Sandeman 20 Years Old Tawny.
-      Vasconcellos 40 Years Old Tawny.
-      Vista Alegre Colheita 1995.
This competition is organized by L’Union des Oenologues de France.
We did not succeed in finding out the number of entries, medals and necessary points.
The VI 2011 was under the patronage of the OIV.
More information and the other medals can be found at: http://www.vinalies-internationales.com/en/resultats-vinalies-internationales.php?langue=en

*) NB: This is a Standard Tawny of Adega Cooperativa Caves Vale do Rodo made under the supervision of João Silva e Sousa!

Gourmand Wine Books Awards 2010.
09/04/11. On March 3^rd the results were published of the Gourmand Wine Books Awards part of the Gourmand World Cookbook Awards. In the category 1. The World of Wine/3. Lifestyle/ 3.3 Best Photography and Illustration Book the fourth prize went to Ruby Dum and Tawny Dee of Niepoort - Vinhos. It is a comic made by Regina Pessoa to make clear the difference between Ruby and Tawny.
See: http://www.cookbookfair.com/

An online version of the book can be found at: http://developers-box.org/verena/transfer/RubyDum&TawnyDeeinNiePOoRTland.pdf

We hope to be able to tell more about this special book in our publication of May 7^th .

Essência do Vinho 2011.
09/04/11. During the eighth Essência do Vinho in Porto from March 3^rd to 6^th a Top 10 of Portuguese wines was chosen by an international jury. They judged 47 wines preselected by the tasting panel of magazine WINE and Essência do Vinho from a list of 352.
In the Top 10 there was a place for one Port: the Vintage 2008 of Quinta do Noval.
For more information see: http://www.essenciadovinho.com/php/noticia.php?noticia=509&lingua=1

Nominees World Travel Awards 2011.
09/04/11. On March 9^th the regional nominees for the eighteenth edition of the World Travel Awards were published.

The Aquapura Douro Valley hotel was nominated in de categories Europe’s Leading Boutique Hotel, Europe’s Leading Hotel and Portugal’s Leading Hotel.

Hotel Romaneira dos Sonhos was nominated in the category Portugal’s Leading Boutique Hotel.

Voting is possible till August 5^th , 2011.
The nominees for the World categories will be announced late September.

Next publication (3).
26/02/11. Our next publication will not be on April 2nd or 3rd, but on April 9th or 10th .

Tasting panel IVDP certified.
26/02/11. The Câmara de Provadores of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has become the first tasting panel from the Portuguese wine industry to be given the standard NP EN ISO/IEC 17025 recognition.
The Câmara consists of a manager, twelve tasters, a co-ordinator and a laboratory assistant. The tasters are selected on the basis of their sensory capacities and they are tested for the stability of their results during four months.
Every tasting session is held with seven professionals. Each week about 100 Ports and some 72 Douro wines are tested blind. A part of these are re-tests to guarantee the consistency of the tasters.
(Source: aicep Portugal Global of 29/12/10.)

Two articles by Axel Probst.
26/02/11. Axel Probst of www.worldofport.de recently published two special articles in German.

At http://worldofport.de/Download/World_of_Port-Grahams-Complete.pdf you will find:
“Graham & Malvedos Complete
Vertikalverkostung Vintage Port 2008 – 1927”
It concerns a collection of tasting notes from 2007 to 2010, most of them from last year. He describes several Non-Vintages, some 20 Graham’s Vintages and about 25 Malvedos Vintages.
Unfortunately his notes are not dated.

At http://worldofport.de/Download/World_of_Port-Port_in_der_Gastronomie.pdf you find:
“Portwein in Neuen Licht”
From the Sommelier Magazin 6/10.
This is a very educational story with many practical tips for the German market which is as yet a little “PortFähig”. Probst wraps up his article by describing seven surprisingly different Ports.

New websites.   26/02/11.
-      http://www.scionport.com/ The site is available in English and Chinese. See also our News item of 08/11/10: Taylor’s launches 155 years old Port.
-      http://villardallenwines.com/ Re-launch of an old family brand starting with a 20 Years Old Tawny made by Cláudia and Óscar Quevedo from the Quevedo cellars.
-      http://www.jacob-head.com/port/ This personal site of Jacob Head is new to us, but has been in existence since 2000. He writes on it: “I think I first put some information about Port on the site in 2007 but it only became a major section of the site last year when I decided to put all the information together in one place. The site contains a lot of interesting information on Port. If you want to know more about Jacob Gifford Head please see: http://www.jacob-head.com/
- www.cotswoldport.co.uk English online shop for Port, Madeira, decanters and glasses.

Vintages 2008 (5).
26/02/11. As you may know the 2008 harvest did not produce a general declared Vintage. The large producers gave preference to their Single Quinta Vintages or their second brands. Amongst the Other producers we can announce seven new ones and for Duorum and Churchill’s an addition (all additions are printed in italics). Now the total is up to 30. See also the tasting in Revista de Vinhos of January.

Sogevinus (Cálem, Burmester, Gilbert’s, Barros, Kopke):
- Kopke Quinta de São Luiz.

Sogrape (Ferreira, Offley, Sandeman):
- Geen Vintages 2008.

The Fladgate Partnership:
- Taylor's Q. de Terra Feita.
- Taylor's Q. de Vargellas.
- Fonseca Guimaraens.
- Fonseca Q. do Panascal.
- Croft Q. da Roeda.

The Symington Family Estates:
For sale now:
- Dow's Q. da Senhora da Ribeira.
- Q. do Vesúvio.
Not for sale now:
- Dow's Q. do Bomfim.
- Graham's Q. dos Malvedos.
- Warre’s Q. da Cavadinha.

Others:
- Q. do Vale Meão.
- Q. das Tercedeiras.
- Real Companhia Velha.
- Dalva.
- Vista Alegre.
- Rozès.
- Cruz.
- Duorum Vinha da Castelo Melhor.
- Churchill’s Q. da Gricha.
- Q. Seara d’Ordens.
- Q. do Portal.
- Quevedo Q. Vale d’Agodinho.
- Q. da Gaivosa (Domingos Alves de Sousa).
- Q. da Romaneira.
- Q. do Noval.
- Q. Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo.
- Cockburn's Q. dos Canais.
- Niepoort Pisca.
- Q. do Crasto.

Sales numbers entire 2010.
26/02/11. The sales results of the entire year 2010 show good figures . There was an increase for the first time since 2007.
The latest numbers (export + Portugal) of the Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto are as follows (between brackets the numbers of January to October 2010):

- the volume of all Port sold increased by 3.1% (3.2%).
- the revenue of all Port sold increased by 5.3% (6.2%).

- the volume of the Standard Ports sold increased by 1.2% (1.3%).
- the revenue of the Standard Ports sold increased by 1.1% (1.3%).

- the volume of the Special Categories/Premium Ports sold increased by 11.8% (12.4%).
- the revenue of the Special Categories/Premium Ports sold increased by 13.5% (16.8%).

For more information see: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?codPag=73&codSeccao=6&idioma=0

IVDP events calendar as of February 26^th , 2011.
26/02/11. The Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e do Porto has planned the following events in France:

France:
. March 15th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Prof Louis Antoine de Bourgainville - Nantes.
. November 18th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.
. December 9th: Hotel Schools in France - Lycée Michel Servet - Lille.

See also: http://www.ivdp.pt/pagina.asp?content=eventos

Revista de Vinhos no. 254, January 2011.
26/02/11. The January issue of the Portuguese wine magazine Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port Wine:

New products:
-      The Taylor’s Scion Colheita 1855 got 19.5 points out of 20 from the editorial staff and was chosen as one of the six Selections of the Month. See also our News item of 08/11/10: Taylor’s launches 155 years old Port.
-      The Dalva Lote Miguel Castro Silva (C. Da Silva) scored 16 points. ***
-      The Seara d’Ordens Reserva Ruby also got 16 points.

*** A dry 10 Years Old Tawny blended by Chef Miguel Castro e Silva for combinations with starters with tuna or foie gras or with desserts. Silva serves the combinations in his restaurant Largo in Lisbon.

Tasting 2008 Vintages:
Luís Antunes wrote the report on a tasting with 25 Vintages 2008. He notes that the 2008 is not as a classical Vintage, but also calls it an obliged Vintage for a fair price.
The winner was Quinta do Noval with 18.5 points.
At the bottom of the list we find Q. das Tercedeiras, Q. do Crasto, Q. do Portal and Real Companhia Velha with 16.5 points.

Alves de Sousa:
João Afonso describes the launching of some new Alves de Sousa products. He rates their Caldas Branco Port with 16.5 points.

Revista de Vinhos no. 255, February 2011.
26/02/11. Besides “The Best of the Year” (see here) the February issue of Revista de Vinhos contains the following information on Port:

New product:
The Niepoort Colheita 2001 got 16.5 points out of 20 from the editorial staff.

AEVP’s Isabel Marrana:
João Paulo Martins interviewed Maria Isabel M.Q. Sousa Cardoso Fernandes Marrana, since 20 year executive director of the Associação das Empresas de Vinho do Porto (AEVP), the organization of large shippers. The AEVP, with 17 members, represents 95% of the Port trade. Isabel Marrana talks inspired about all facets and problems of the Port industry, but is finally positive about the chances in the future.

Two American competitions sold.
26/02/11. Lea Pierce of Wine Competition Management LLC has sold two of her four wine competitions. It concerns the National Woman’s Wine Competition (this year the fifth edition) and the NextGen Wine Competition (this year the second edition). These competitions have been bought by Debra Del Fiorentino and Giovanni Balistreri. Debra is certified sommelier and both are partners at the Russian River Vineyards in Forestville, California. Both have extensive experience as organizers of events and as jury members in several wine competitions.

Lea Pierce continues to be owner of the U.S. Professional Wine Buyers Competition and the International Organic & Biodynamic Wine Competition. These competitions will not be organized in 2011, as she will be taking a break.

Prémios W 2010 of A. Coutinho.
26/02/11. Since 2009 wine critic, winemaker and journalist Anibal Coutinho publishes his choice of The Best from the Wine Sector in Portugal of the previous year. He judges 18 categories. In the list of Prémios W 2010 we find one winner from the Port industry. The Best Producer of Fortified Wines was The Fladgate Partnership.
For the other nominees and more categories see: http://w-anibal.com/media/pdf/NewsletterEspecialW%20Premios.pdf

Magazine Wine: Best of the Year 2010.
26/02/11. The Portuguese magazine Wine of Essência do Vinho has announced its Best of the Year 2010. From the Port industry are:
-      Wine personality of the Year: João Portugal Ramos (including Duorum).
-      Producer of the Year: Sogrape (including Ferreira, Offley, Sandeman).
The Award ceremony will be during the eighth Essência do Vinho in Porto from March 3^rd to 6^th .
For more information see: http://www.essenciadovinho.com/php/noticia.php?noticia=506&lingua=1

FTLOP Awards 2010.
26/02/11. Roy Hersh has published for the first time his personal choice of the For The Love Of Port Awards in his February Newsletter. This year it are only Port related awards, but in the future he also wants to choose his awards for Douro and Madeira wines. The 2010 awards went to:
-      Ruby Reserve: Quinta do Noval Black with 91 points.
-      Late Bottled Vintage: Q. do Portal 2005 with 94+ points.
-      Tawny: Q. da Romaneira 10 Years Old with 94 points.
-      Colheita: Dalva Rui Paula 1967 with 95 points.
-      Vintage: Sandeman 2007 with 96 points.
-      Hospitality & Tourism: Q. do Crasto.
-      Innovative Marketing: Porto Quevedo for embracing social media, as a small company importing in the USA and using the QR Code on their wine labels (see also our News item of 04/04/09: Quevedo adopts QR Codes on wine labels.)
For more information see:
http://www.fortheloveofport.com/ftlop-news/first-annual-for-the-love-of-port-awards?utm_source=MadMimi&utm_medium=email&utm_content=For+The+Love+of+Port+-+February+2011&utm_campaign=For+The+Love+of+Port+-+February+2011&utm_term=here

Revista de Vinhos: “The Best of the Year 2010.”
26/02/11. The editors of the Portuguese wine magazine Revista de Vinhos have published their choice of “The Best of the Year 2010” in the no. 255 issue of February 2011. The following awards were granted to the Port industry:
-      Company of the Year: Sogrape Vinhos (including Ferreira, Offley, Sandeman).
-      Company of the Year for Fortified Wines: J.H. Andresen.
-      Winemaker of the Year: Francisco Olazábal (Quinta do Vale Meão).
-      Viniculturist of the Year: J. Portugal Ramos Vinhos (including Duorum).
-      Publicity campaign of the Year: Sogrape.
-      Excellent Awards: J.H. Andresen Colheita 1980, Cálem Very Old Special Reserve, Ferreira Duque de Bragança 20 Years Old Tawny, Q. do Noval 20 Years Old Tawny and Vintage 2008.
-      Beste of the Port Region Awards: Andresen Colheitas 1968 and 1982; Andresen Royal Choice, Burmester, Offley, Poças, Ramos Pinto Q. do Bom Retiro and Taylor’s 20 Years Old Tawnies; Dalva Golden White 1963 and 30 Years Old Tawny.
-      Best Buy Awards: Dalva Colheitas 1999 and LBV 2005, Niepoort LBV 2005, Poças 20 Years Old Tawny and Special Reserve Dry White.
See also:
http://www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt/eventos/os_melhores_do_ano_2010_7119 en
http://www.revistadevinhos.iol.pt/noticias/os_melhores_vinhos_de_portugal_em_2010_6771

Internationaler Bio-Weinpreis Mundusvini Biofach 2011.
26/02/11. During the second Bio-Weinpreis on December 9^th and 10^th a silver medal was awarded to the Rabelo’s Green Reserve Ruby of the Quinta and Vineyards Bottlers (Fladgate Partnership).
The competition contained 555 entries from 18 countries (in 2010: 622) of which almost 35% won a medal.
For more information see: http://www.mundusvini.de/11565744--~de~InternationalerBioWeinpreisMUNDUSviniBioFach~Ergebnisse~ergebnisse2011.html