JOãO NICOLAU DE ALMEIDA - November's Guest Corner Host

Join in on discussions with winemakers and other personalities in the Port, Madeira and Douro Wine trades.

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Joao Nicolau
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:38 am
Location: Oporto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Joao Nicolau »

[
Joao Nicolau wrote:2 - You can by a case of Vintage Ramos Pinto in London or in Portugal or anywhere else. Please just let me know your contact and a miracle will happen!
[
David wrote:Thank you - I appreciate your help. I have sent you a private message with my contact details.
Kind regards,

OK, David! We’ll keep in touch.

All my best,
João
Joao Nicolau
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:38 am
Location: Oporto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Joao Nicolau »

Hi Cynthia

Hip, hip, hurrah! . . . Finally, we can talk!
Thank you for your comments that I really appreciated.
About my sons, I do like my father did with me – I don’t interfere. I let them following their way and try to learn and understand which is their way. The fact is that they live in a wine Family since they were born (and I believe that we were born already with 12% alcohol in our bloods ! … They are the 8th generation making wine) and they heard conversations everyday about wines and certainly their wine culture was built on this.
Of course, if they ask me something I’ll do my best. In Portugal, we use to say: “It’s better to teach how to fish instead of giving the fish”.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t be at Ervamoira lunch but I think that the name of that vegetable is “espargos = asparagus”.
So, let’s make an effort to meet?

All my best,
João
Joao Nicolau
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:38 am
Location: Oporto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Joao Nicolau »

Hi Bob

Of course, the best thing is to drink all the Vintage bottle. If not, you have to think like a fortified red wine. I explain:
In red wine, you have a quality ascendant curve after opening the bottle and this stabilises for some period the top quality and then drops very quickly.
For Vintage, the period of stabilisation on the top quality is larger than in the red wine. It can happen that in the next day the wine be still in ascendant curve for quality.
So, four/five days in a natural ambiance, the wine could be good. If you can pump the air from the bottle, you can reach 2 weeks ? It also depends on the age and the year of the Vintage.

All my best,
João
Joao Nicolau
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:38 am
Location: Oporto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Joao Nicolau »

Hi Andy

I understand your frustration about Port communication. I also feel the same.
But, as I am an optimist man and believe the quality of Port Wine, I think that this quality product will come up again. If we look at the history of different wine categories, we see that there are high and low periods.
From last years, we could read from the most important magazines in the world articles about Ports, which gave a good push to the Port wine world.
Of course, Port is not a drink like the red wine on account of the alcohol content and so it must be drunk in a different way. The young oenophiles are interested in Port but I believe like you that we have to do a better promotion, and the general promotion has been improving for the last years.
I think we probably need a general promotion, like Adriano Ramos Pinto did . . . ?

All my best,
João
Moses Botbol
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Location: Boston, USA

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Moses Botbol »

I would love to see Ramos Pinto create new art advertising instead re-issuing old prints. [beg.gif] Why rest on your laurels?

Alfa Romeo is doing this and has a lot of fantastic pieces that are well received.

http://www.alfaromeoart.com/
Welsh Corgis | F1 |British Cars
SEAN C.
Posts: 280
Joined: Sun Oct 29, 2006 8:17 pm
Location: Brooklyn,, New York, United States of America - USA

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by SEAN C. »

Moses Botbol wrote:I would love to see Ramos Pinto create new art advertising instead re-issuing old prints. [beg.gif] Why rest on your laurels?

Alfa Romeo is doing this and has a lot of fantastic pieces that are well received.

http://www.alfaromeoart.com/
I agree as well! The Alfa Romeo pieces are great, I'm less familiar with the newer art but the older art deco lithographs are amazing and quite rare.

It would be great to see Ramos Pinto lead the way in bringing back some traditional concepts that made the company famous. While you're at it can you please return to shipping bottles like this again!
[beg.gif] :D
Image
Frederick Blais
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Location: Porto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Frederick Blais »

Dear Joao,

It was a pleasure to meet you at Qta Evermoira.

You did mention that your Vintage Port are often considered too soft when young and lacking character to age but when you open a bottle years later you are proud to show that your Port do age very well and it's wrong to judge them too early because they are different than the others.

Can you elaborate on what exactly you do differently than what the general Port lover is used to drink when you produce your VP at Ramos Pinto. How should approach your VP to fully understand and appreciate them.

Regards

Frédérick
Living the dream and now working for a Port company
Conrad Bodnar
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Joined: Sun Aug 05, 2007 8:01 am
Location: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Conrad Bodnar »

Dear João,

It was a pleasure to meet you this past Harvest Tour at Qta Evermoira and I cannot thank you enough for the time you spent with us explaining the depths of your work, the Ports and wines you shared (my favourite being the single varietal 1983 Roriz), as well as dining with us.

I have two questions for you:

1 - As I understand it, you were one of the first, if not the first, to plant vines in vertical rather than horizontal rows. As it is now common to see this type of planting in the Douro, can you share what the initial spark for this idea was, what type of experimentantion was carried out to validate the effectiveness of, and what was achieved by using this type of planting over the traditional horizontal method.

2 - I know that you were instrumental in early scientific studies on several of the local grape varietals which narrowed down the use (and eventual recognition by every Port House) of the 'Top 5' varietals. To hear you speak of the work you had done was inspiring, but I could not help but recognize the frustration in your voice when you spoke also of all the research that still needs to be conducted. I know this may be difficult, but can you comment on, in your opinion, what types of studies should be carried out next, and how they may affect future production of both Port and red wine from the Douro?

Respectfully,

Conrad Bodnar
Joao Nicolau
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:38 am
Location: Oporto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Joao Nicolau »

Hi, Moses !
Thank you for your suggestions. I think the best will be to use the two ways.
I mean, we have to innovate with new things but we have also to make a link with past culture. We are preparing new things and you will be able to see this work next year.
All my best,
João
Joao Nicolau
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:38 am
Location: Oporto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Joao Nicolau »

Hi, Sean!
As you can see in my answer above, we’re working on that. Nice picture and good suggestions. Thank you very much.
All my best,
João
Joao Nicolau
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:38 am
Location: Oporto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Joao Nicolau »

Hi, Frederick!
Some years ago, the Port Wine and specially the Vintage, was made in “lagares” like nowadays, but with a small difference. The whole grapes were dropped into the “lagares” and they were crushed by feet because there weren’t roller crushers.
That system obliged us to a strong extraction of the whole part of the branch, the skins, the seeds and the starks.
Obviously, the wine was very aggressive and adstringent, giving a Vintage impossible to drink for the next 15/20 years.
It was on this way that everybody was judging Vintage.
Nowadays, we have roller crushers and a different maceration, giving softer wines.
In 1983, as I told you before, we decided to make a Vintage in a different way.
For the first time, we could use a blend of separated varieties and we decided also to extract the maximum tannins from skins and not from the starks.
The skin tannins are softer and more stable in the wine than in the ones from the starks.
That was the way we found to have a Vintage to be drunk earlier but at the same time that could age very well.
The general Port Lovers can enjoy our Vintage for the intensity of the fruit flavour, the good balance and thelong, long finish.
It’s like you let the sound of your guitar play.
All my best,
João
Joao Nicolau
Posts: 42
Joined: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:38 am
Location: Oporto, Portugal

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Joao Nicolau »

Hi, Conrad!
1) Vertical plantation
When I started working for Ramos Pinto, I was also giving consulting at Quinta das Murças, that belongs to a friend of mine.
At Bom Retiro, my uncle José Rosas was very worried about all the Douro viticulture stagnation and specially the necessity of mechanising the vineyards.
He was working with the local administration about the first step of “patamares” (terraces with a natural slope). That was the way to introduce the tractor between two rows of vineyards.
It was a big success because it was the first time that the tractor was introduced in Douro vineyards (+- 1975/6).
Even being a big advance, he was not totally happy with this system and he told me his worries about this. Working at Quintas das Murças, I noticed that there was a quite old vineyard planted up and down (vertical).
I found that very interesting and made an interview to the Responsible for the vineyards – why there was this specific part of the vineyard planted in this way (vertical). He told me that the owner had a very good friend from Switzerland that was the owner of a company that built machines to use in the vineyards planted up and down. He proposed himself to plant a small vineyard at Murças to experiment and sell his machines to his friend.
In my studies, I compared that vineyard with another vineyard planted at side. I compared all the vegetative cycle and the wines of each parcel of land and I reached to the conclusion that the vertical vineyard was better in terms of exposition and it also could be more mechanised.
I went to Geisegheim to study how they were doing and I brought new knowledge to the Douro, using larger rows to let the caterpillar go ahead. We made the first experience at Bom Retiro in 1978 and afterwards we planted Quinta de Ervamoira with this system.. We had more density of plants, more production per hectare, less production per vine and a very high degree of mechanisation.

2) The first necessity is to export and study deeply all the different varieties that we have and adapt them to the specific soils and microclimates.
We had also to study all the different ways of conducting, pruning, etc. of all those varieties.
We had to adapt all the viticulture to the mechanisation and water supply, taking into account the new climacteric conditions, etc. Fortunately, we have a private association for the development of Douro Viticulture called ADVID, who is doing an excellent job. We cannot expect too much from the university and the local administration.
All my best,
João
Steve Pollack
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Location: Oak Park, CA, USA

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Steve Pollack »

Hi João,

Thank you so much for joining us at FTLOP. [welcome.gif] It has been very educational and a pleasure to hear from you. :thumbsup:

My questions relate to Colheitas and Tawnies.

From one of your previous comments, you said that you are no longer bottling Colheitas and are only using those wines to blend into yourTawny Ports. I apologize, but I don't have a clear understand of your reasoning. Was it because your supplies of older Colheitas (like 1937) were too small to continue to bottle separately, or was it a marketing decision based on better consumer acceptance of Tawnies over Colheitas?

Also, after reading Roy's 3 tasting notes on the 1937 Ramos Pinto Colheita, I noticed that the 2000 bottling was significantly better (in Roy's opinion) than the 1979 or 1984 bottling. Do you think that is because Colheitas generally improve with more time in cask? Is there a point where there would no longer be improvement, or even some reduction in quality? On the flip side of the coin, do you think that Colheitas (and Tawnies too) are better with less time in the bottle? Perhaps 25 or 30 years is too much time in bottle, but 5 or 10 years is fine. I would love to hear your thoughts on this topic.

Thanks you again. I have enjoyed Ramos Pinto Tawnies very much in the past, and I hope to try some of your older Colheitas also (if I can find them).

Best Regards,

Steve
Marc J.
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Location: Malibu, California, United States of America - USA

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Marc J. »

Joao,

Thank you for all of your insightful postings. It has been quite an education into the viticultural aspects of Port production as well as the marketing side of the business. Earlier you mentioned some of the more popular grape varities and their corresponding attributes, but I started to wonder if you have found some grape varietials that might not be quite as widely planted - but offer special attributes to the finished wine? Thanks again for sharing a little peek into the nuts and bolts of Port production.

Marc
Blair Curtis
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Joined: Fri Jul 28, 2006 9:56 am
Location: Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Blair Curtis »

Hello Joao,

I remember well when the 1994 Vintage Ports were released and RP offered both 1994 VP and 1994 Quinta de Ervamoira. At that time, some writers stated that these wines were both of excellent quality, but had different profiles/structure. Here are my questions:

1) Have you had these two 1994s side-by-side recently, and if so I would love to hear your impressions of the differences and/or similarities of these two Ports; and
2) Is there a particular character or profile you are trying to bring out through the Quinta de Ervamoira bottling? What is the rationale for the separate bottling? Is it that the site is so distinct that it cries out for its own bottling?

Thanks very much for taking the time to answer all our questions!

Kind regards,

Blair Curtis
Cheers, B.
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Roy Hersh
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Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Roy Hersh »

João,

You are providing us with a great education and it is making for a great read.

I have another question for you:

Will the continued growth in popularity of Douro wines cause more of the best grapes in the vineyards to be "taken away" from Port wine?
Ambition driven by passion, rather than money, is as strong an elixir as is Port. http://www.fortheloveofport.com
Melanie R.
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Location: Duvall, WA, USA

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Melanie R. »

Greetings, Joao. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions.
The tawny is a very unique culture on wine ageing. We have to follow almost in a daily basis the many casks where we age the wines that we have in our cellars. We have to treat them if they are sick, to let them breath if they need, to get them married - which is easy for the young wines and very difficult to the oldest wines. Exactly like ourselves.
I thought this was a lovely way of describing the life of a tawny Port. Can you please explain what can happen to make a Port "sick", and what you might do to correct this?
Blessed are we who can laugh at ourselves, for we shall never cease to be amused.
Todd Pettinger
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Location: Sherwood Park, Alberta, Canada

Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Todd Pettinger »

Hi João,
Thank you for your time and the effort you are putting into these replies. Your thoughtfulness and detail are very much appreciated by everyone. It is evident that you have a great deal of pride and love in your work and I appreciate you sharing this passion with us.

My question concerns the process of blending, particularly of Vintage. When you first begin the process of blending, do you have a certain "ratio" of certain varietals that you use as a starting point? Or do you instead taste each varietal by itself and try to get a feel for what qualities the grapes bring in that year, then try to imagine the ideal blend and how much of each varietal you will attempt to use? Or perhaps am I way off base and the process is much more scientific?

I have to admit, when I think about the process being carried out myself, I imagine a couple of nerds like myself sitting around a massive table with large containers of labelled varieties and various quantities being drawn from each, notes being scribbled as to the various blend attempts and then at the end of the process, some very intoxicated people! :)

One further question surrounding blending: how many people do the tasting of the various blend combinations and debate the merits of each? How many people are responsible for making the final decisions, and does anyone (yourself?) Hold the ultimate veto power to overrule consensus and push through a certain final product?

Thank you!

Todd
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Al B.
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Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Al B. »

João

Thank you so much for your answers to all the questions so far, it has been very interesting reading.

One of the things that I most enjoy about port is the history and the romance of the wines. One of the many romantic highlights is the idea that port made from grapes grown on ungrafted vines tastes different from port made from vines grown on american rootstock.

Have you ever made any experiments to plant ungrafted vines? Do you think that grapes grown on different rootstocks would produce different wines?

Thank you for your continued thoughts.

Alex
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Eric Ifune
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Re: João Nicolau de Almeida - November's Guest Corner Host

Post by Eric Ifune »

Joao,
Thank you for all your posts. They have been very educational.
Are there specific vinyards or areas in the Douro which you think are best for Port; how about table wines. I understand many table wine sites are at higher altitude.
Thank you again!
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