The first bottle of vinho verde I bought in my life came from a small local supermarket in S. Martinho de Recesinhos near Penafiel about 40 km east of Porto. We had just put up at Quinta de Gatao and went to shop for some groceries. I browsed the shelves of the wine section and bought a selection of local wines from EURO 1.50 to 5.50. And the bottle in the picture above was one of them. Quinta da Aveleda said the label. It did not mean anything to me.
I also bought cheese produced by Quinta da Aveleda (picture above). There were two varieties of it on offer. Only much later would we learn that Quinta da Aveleda is a rather big wine and cheese producing enterprise nearby in Penafiel (in fact one of the biggest in Portugal). By the way both cheeses, the soft and the hard one, are delicious and we should eat many more of them during our week long stay.
One afternoon, we went to visit the place and check it out. We came just at the right time for the last guided tour. We were shown the bottling plant, and a kind of museum before settling for the tasting which was held on a large veranda on the backside of one of the buildings. We did not visit the enormous park and the gardens.
The family enterprise has a long history going back to 1671. But it can be assumed that the place is much older. In the Celtic tradition of Lusitania, the women who predicted the future, were sacrificed and called “Velledas”. That’s most probably were the name comes from. The place and the family business has a long and winding history and experienced all the ups and downs typical for the wine industry, from phylloxera to international wine awards, from expansion to contraction everything can be found.
The cellar door and gift shop offers not only wine and cheese but various kinds of local produce from the Minho and Douro wine regions.
A newly planted vineyard can be seen from the tasting terrace.
Vinho verde is being offered in various variations, but together with the self-produced cheese and some bread. The wine is fruity and fresh, young and bubbly, ideal for hot summer days. Alcohol is about 9-10%.
This is the light vinho verde (branded as Casal Garcia) mainly produced for the US market (even lower in alcohol, about 8%) where Quinta da Aveleda sells millions bottles. I forgot the exact figure, but the number is mind blowing for a small vintner like me who produces just a couple of thousand bottles a year. I found the winery tour interesting (tough I prefer visiting smaller establishments), the staff was friendly and accommodating. Take your time, and explore the gardens.
Address:
The Man from Mosel River 