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THE TEAM AT<br />
VICENTE FARIA<br />
Frederico Falcão and the winegrowers we met concur that there are several reasons<br />
behind booming Portuguese wine sales, but that the decision by producers over the<br />
past few years to embrace a more international style – without compromising on their<br />
inherent character – has made all the difference. Producers have begun crafting wines in<br />
a more modern style without turning their backs on their 250-plus native grape varieties<br />
– which certainly leaves plenty of scope for exploration. Neither have they shunned their<br />
time-honoured tradition of blends and other winemaking techniques, nor forgotten to<br />
showcase the extensive variety of Portuguese vineyard sites or terroirs, which can only be<br />
good news.<br />
VICENTE FARIA, OPTING FOR NATIVE GRAPES<br />
Paula Gamba from the marketing department of Douro company Vicente Faria – whose<br />
history spans an impressive two centuries – confirms that the winery has introduced no<br />
new grape varieties over the past few years. It has always focused on native varietals to craft<br />
its famous Port and dry wines. For the reds, these are Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga<br />
Nacional, Trincadeira, Tinta Barroca and Tinto Cão, complemented by Loureiro and Arinto<br />
for the whites. Changes, however, have occurred in terms of selection – quality vines<br />
are carefully identified and the fruit is meticulously selected to produce wines showing<br />
outstanding character. The same painstaking attention to detail is applied in the winery,<br />
where the wines are fermented at controlled temperatures and maturation programmes<br />
are thoughtfully curated, for example.<br />
“The wines are more fruity and elegant and are a better match for the needs of foreign<br />
consumers”, explains Gamba. So much so that the company currently exports 95% of its<br />
wines – a fairly rare occurrence – primarily to countries such as the United Kingdom, the<br />
United States, Belgium, Switzerland and Poland. “Domestic consumption remains high,<br />
despite a saturated marketplace”, adds Gamba. That’s because “Portugal is the country with<br />
the highest per capita wine consumption in the world”.<br />
Winemaker Vicente Leite de Faria, the seventh winegrower in the family, is currently<br />
38 SPRING 2024 • GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE
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