My dad bought land in the Douro Valley in 2010 in order to produce his own wine. The vineyard’s acres are nearby the CARM realm’s ones, that have been producing part of the F wine for a few years already. This association between my dad and CARM takes a new turn now that the wine made on his land is served in Quebecer restaurants.
We had been in the valley for a few days discovering the production process of the most awarded olive oil in the world that is made at CARM. On that morning, my dad took/walk us through his land. After driving few minutes in a Rover, we arrived in a small lodge that defines/marks the beginning of his land/ground. He explained that the vines are planted on a northeast-facing hill, a location that protects them from the afternoon burning sun.
We walked throughout my dad’s vines while he explained that several grapes were originally from Douro. Even though the first wines produced in the area were portos, the reputation of Douro’s wines are reputable around the world. A variety of vines can be found on this soil, such as the touriga nacional, tinta roriz and the touriga franca. The grapes also share the land with few olive trees and almond trees, which grow across/through the paths. The first fruit we got to sample was a fresh almond. My dad showed us how to break the pod to extract the sweet nut.
It was then time to visit the CARM facilities where the grape transformation was in full swing. There are only few employees working at this facility, but the huge dumping hoppers as well as the packaging machines made it very impressive.
We visited the cellars with Felipe, a friend of my dad who has been participating in the F wines production for many years. The wine is stored in barrels in the caves until it reaches maturity. The cool temperature was contrasting with the outside heat. Felipe made us try/sample several wines, starting with the/going from youngest to oldest. He extracts the juice from the barrel using a long pipette and pours it into a tasting glass. What a magical moment it was to discover the many flavours of these exceptional wines, guided by my dad and his long-time friend.
The wonderful valley of Douro and its wine are ripe for discovery. I am glad that they are included on the menu of the Ferreira restaurants, allowing you to discover them.