See more - Quinta de Covela

Data: 28-04-2014
Tipo: Portal
Origem: Portugal
Pág: Online
Secção: wine writing
The Douro Verde
Published: 28 April 2014
Text Ilkka Sirén
First let me start by saying: Vinho Verde is a region, not a wine style. When talking
about the wines of Vinho Verde more often than not you hear people go "Vinho
Verde? That fizzy plonk from Northern Portugal?" - and it makes me want to punch
people in the face. Sure, Vinho Verde is known to produce this fizzy spritzer-like
crap and it does seem to be quite popular even to this day.
And to be honest I don't mind. But one thing people should know about Vinho
Verde is that it's a big wine region. In fact it's one of the biggest in Europe. That
combined with a bunch of great indigenous grape varieties makes the region a
fertile ground for new wine projects, such as Quinta de Covela. The estate itself
and its wines are not new but through a series of, shall we say "incidents", it is now
being reborn.
The wines started to get some national and international attention back in the day
when Nuno Araújo bought the estate in the late 1980s. He was among the first in
Portugal to start implementing organic and biodynamic viticulture. With their
unusually "modern" labels and interesting grape blends, the Covela wines became
well-known in the Portuguese wine geek scene. In 2008 Quinta de Covela fell in
the hands of a bank. I don't remember which bank it was, doesn't really matter
because we all know what happens when things fall in the hands of bank. It all
goes to shit. Needless to say the bank didn't bother to do anything with the estate
so it was completely neglected. That was until 2011 when Tony Smith and his
business partner Marcelo Lima salvaged the estate. And I must say, since then the
rise of Quinta de Covela has been quite impressive. In a few years it has gone
from being almost completely forgotten to the wine producer everybody is talking
about.
Photo by Ilkka Sirén / All Rights Reserved
Quinta de Covela is a Vinho Verde producer, yes, but the quinta is located not
more than 500 meters from the Douro river. Which I think is quite interesting and
something you can detect in the wines. They have the granite soil of Vinho Verde
but the climate of Douro. At first I thought "great, a Vinho Verde wine without the
freshness". But like always with wine it's not that simple. It does give the wines an
unique character but instead of being very ripe with tons of tropical fruit and all
kinds of tutti-frutti elements, I would say the wines are actually a bit restrained. It's
the inexplicable magic of le terroir.
Photo by Ilkka Sirén / All Rights Reserved
I think one of the smartest things the new owners did was to get enologist Rui
Cunha to work with them. Rui, who also works with Aphros (Vinho Verde) and
Secret Spot (Douro), had worked previously with Covela for many years so he
knows the place well.
The cellar is a beautiful house with high ceilings, pink walls and these amazing old
concrete vats. Small but quite practical-ish. Due to the lack of space they have
piled the barrels on top of each other and attached some kind of a valve-apparatus
to the bottom of the barrels for racking. Where there's a will there's a way, right?
The estate covers 49 hectares, of which 18 hectares are planted with vineyards.
While Covela is well-known for their white wines they do make a few red wines as
well. Besides Touriga Nacional they have planted a bunch of international varieties
like Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot. Not quite "Super Tuscan"
but maybe a Super Douro Verde?
Photo by Ilkka Sirén / All Rights Reserved
Here's my picks from the tasting:
Covela Edição Nacional Avesso 2013 (White)
One cannot talk about Covela without talking about the Avesso grape. This badass
variety from Minho is rarely seen on its own but in the right place and in the right
hands this little grape can make some seriously delicious wine. Edição Nacional
Avesso: bucket full of mineral water, citrus, crushed rocks and a few slices of
orange peel. Good stuff.
Covela Escolha 2013 (White)
Interesting blend of Avesso, Chardonnay, Viognier and a bit of Gewürztraminer.
Starts off a bit like that iPad game Fruit Ninja. The fruits fly all over the place;
combos of pear, peach and lime. But suddenly it all gets blitzed by a slash of
acidity that cuts through the fruit like an overpaid plastic surgeon. Nice lingering
flavors with a dry and sharp finish. Definitely has some promising gastronomic
aspects to it.
Photo by Ilkka Sirén / All Rights Reserved
About the reds... The Covela Escolha Tinto 2005 was a beauty. Well matured wine
with classic "barnyard meets a leather strapped gag ball" -aromas. Tasty stuff! The
Covela Reserva 2012 on the other hand was a bit awkward. Obviously still a baby
but with 18 months in 100% new oak I'm not sure if it will ever be my cup of tea.
Rui said the percentage of new oak will be less in the future. He just didn't want to
buy second hand barrels because he wanted to be sure about the quality. Looking
forward to it, but in the meanwhile I will happily keep drinking the oh so delicious
Avesso.
Photo by Ilkka Sirén / All Rights Reserved
Contacts
Quinta de Covela
William Smith & Lima Lda.
S. Tomé de Covelas
4640-211 BAIÃO
+351 254 886 298
[email protected]
www.covela.pt
URL: http://www.blend-allaboutwine.com/index.php/wine-writing/64-the-douroverde