Time is an essential ingredient of a great wine. And that is why the thundering success of Quinta da Romaneira in the super-competitive wine world is nothing short of amazing. Scoring an average of 95 points in prestigious publications like Wine Spectator has rocketed Romaneira wines to the high echelons of the wine hierarchy where French and Italian brands are abundant, but where Portuguese wines is rarely seen.
The story of Romaneira is no different from many other quintas (Portuguese for ‘farm’) of Douro. The estate has been in the hands of the same family for almost 300 years, producing essentially Port wine. However the 400-hectare property covering (one of the largest in Douro), was semi-abandoned until it was acquired in 2003 by a group of private investors.
The new managing director, Christian Seely (who also manages Axa Millesimes, which owns six vineyards in France, including the famous Chateau Pichon Barron) has 10 years of experience in Portugal, namely at Quinta do Noval (another top Douro brand). In the past eight years, he and his team of Portuguese winemakers and oenologists have stirred up a revolution, turning the run-down property into a vineyeard producing some of the most exciting wines in Douro, mostly focused on foreign markets.
“Our main markets are Brazil, Canada, some European countries like the United Kingdom, Denmark and the Netherlands,” says Ricardo Campos, commercial director of Romaneira who recently visited Macau to promote the wines. “We are now trying to grow exactly where economic expansion is happening, mainly in Asia and also Brazil.”
For a company that exports 90 percent of its annual production of around 300,000 bottles, China is certainly an important market. Beijing is set to be the first selling point in the mainland, and there are plans to expand to Singapore, Japan and South Korea. Macau was nevertheless the starting point of the Asian strategy, and not only for historical reasons.
“Macau has high-end hospitality and that’s exacly the right place for our wines: five-star hotels, casinos and top restaurants,” says Campos.
Local wine lovers can practically find the full range of Romaneira in the city: there are two entry and medium range reds of very good quality, but the pièce de résistance is the Quinta da Romaneira Reserva 2008, considered the best Portuguese red in 2011 by the magazine Essência do Vinho (Wine Essence), and rated at 94 points by Wine Spectator.
“2008 has a huge potential for ageing,” says Campos. Port wine was traditionally the core production of the vineyard and the high standard continues. The Tawny Ruby 10 Years is a treat in terms of quality and price, and the company offers vintages from 2003 until 2008, the latter being another winner as it was considered the best Portuguese wine last year in the national wine contest, competing against 800 wines and breaking the tradition of crowning a table wine as the winner.
As for whites and rosés, French oenologist Corinne Seely is responsible for a small production, which according to Campos “is already sold out before being bottled.” The rosé was ranked the best Portuguese rosé in 2009.
One exciting element of Quinta da Romaneira is the potential for growth. The current 85 hectares of vineyards could expand up to 200 hectares. And the brand has other top end, niche products like olive oil. Production is only three thousand litres a year, but the quality is top notch.
Last but not least, the farm also produces excellent almonds and oranges, but only for consumption at its hotel, rated by Tattler magazine as one of the 101 best hotels in the world, among other accolades. The concept today, is to link the wine experience with exquisite hospitality. The property is part of the exclusive Relais et Chateaux group and boasts some of the best views of the Douro River and terraced vineyards. The area is also UNESCO listed and it’s easy to understand why.
