The
wines of Real Companhia Velha, Douro, Portugal
Real Companhia Vinicolo do Norte de Portugal, Rua Azvedo
Magalhães, 314,
4400 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal
UK agent: FE May (sales@winedirect.ltd.uk;
tel: 020 7843 1600)
Real Vinicola, as it is known, is a company founded by the
Portuguese government back in 1889 with the mandate of selling wines
from Northern Portugal. These days it concentrates more on the Douro.
Chief winemaker is the Californian ex-pat Jerry Luper. Quality is
consistently reliable, but doesn’t hit any great heights. The
Grantom Reserva, which has more than a dash of Cabernet Sauvignon in
it, under-performed here: it tasted a good
deal better in the Douro when I visited last June (2002). Like so
many Portuguese wines, availability in the UK is poor, but they are
available from the retail off-shoot of the importer, Wine Direct (see
contact details above), whose prices are given in brackets.
Porca de Murça Branco 2001 Douro
Fresh and herby with a little lemony fruit. Nice simple style.
Good/very good 78 (£4.99)
Porca de Murça Tinto 2001 Douro
Nice chewy, herby fruit but a bit simple. Good/very good 76 (£4.99)
Evel White 2002, Douro
Nice herby, fresh nose – this shows good balance. Herby, rounded
palate shows good fruit. Acessible and interesting. Very good+ 86 (£6.50)
Evel Red 2001 Douro
Vivid red/pink colour. Good intensity of berry fruit with a spicy
edge, presumably from the oak. Classically styled: there’s Douro
character here, even though the wine is in a relatively modern mould.
Very good+ 85 (£7.50)
Quinto do Cidrô Sauvignon Blanc 2002 Trás-os-Montes
Rounded grassy fruit with gentle herbiness. Nice enough but
overpriced. Good/very good 80 (£7.99)
Quinto do Cidrô Chardonnay 2001 Trás-os-Montes
Lemony edge to the nutty, spicy nose, which is a little dominated
by the barrel ferment character. Rich, sweetly fruited palate with
lots of nutty oak. Nice in a slightly overblown style. Very good+ 85 (£8.25)
Quinta dos Aciprestes 2000 Douro
Chewy herby-edged fruit with good acidity. Good/very good 79 (£8.25)
Porca de Murça Reserva 2000 Douro
Quite a rich caramel-edged nose. Chewy, savoury palate with juicy
berry fruit and a savoury edge. Expressive. Very good 82 (£9.00)
Evel Grande Escolha 2000 Douro
Taut, herb-tinged nose leads to a rich, juicy palate with good
acidity and some tannic structure. Classically styled with a herbal
edge to the fruit. Very good 84 (£18.00)
Grantom 2000 Douro
Quite a rich, sweetly fruited nose. The palate is juicy and herby
with good concentration, some tannic structure and good acidity.
You’d probably be justified in expecting a little more for this sort
of money. Very good+ 85 (£23.95)
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