A Adega Viúva Gomes

Almoçageme, Colares

It was a very wintry day, the one that suited us to visit the Adega Viúva Gomes cellar, near Colares, Sintra. No traffic problems and the afternoon was well spent.

Sintra is a “magical” area, very peculiar. And when we begin to descend to Colares, this magic remains: either by the narrowness of the national road, or by the romanticism of the railway line, or by the luxuriant vegetation, or by the arrangement of houses and palaces … And Colares is also a cool and rustic village, encrusted between the mountains and the ocean … Just a few kilometers and we arrived at our destination: a village called Almoçageme.

It is well known the singularity of this Colares microterroir. Being the 2nd oldest demarcated region of the country, with only a few hectares of vineyard, between the Serra de Sintra and the Atlantic Ocean, with sandy soils, exposure to salt winds and morning mist, the resultant wines could only be singular…

We parked the car in Largo. And we immediately came across the Adega building. With a retrovintage style (that stays inside), it stands out with elegance of what is around. The letters up there say that the cellar has existed since 1808 …

We are greeted warmly by the producer José Baeta. We could not miss the kind invitation. The first Saturday of each month is an open day. That is, the winery receives visits (by appointment) on Saturday at 4:00 p.m., and every Wednesday at 11:00 p.m. and 3:00 p.m.

In the interior there was already a couple who also come for the visit, and very knowing on the matter of wines, reason why the visit was still more pleasant, because we took advantage to exchange ideas and experiences.

José Baeta began by explaining to us those peculiarities of the region of Colares. Of the extent is very small … How expensive is the square meter of the land, not often profitable for the production of wines … The harvest that is often much later than in other wine regions (often only begins in October)…

In summary, there are 2 major types of wines in this region:

• Vinhos de chão de areia (sand ground wines)
• Vinhos de chão rijo (rough ground wines)

The first ones are DOC Colares wines (“niche type wines”). The latter are regional wines from Lisbon (“wines for the masses”)

Of course they are the first who give the name and fame to this region. Sand pit, because the vineyards are planted in sandy terrain, usually free standing, with great proximity to the sea. In fact, these vineyards were among the few that resisted phylloxera, precisely because of the depth of the roots, which prevented the insect from proliferating … Unfortunately of this pre-phylloxeric time, there are few strains left …
And hard ground, mainly clay-limestone, where several national and foreign castes, usually with rootstock, are planted, which originate little-known regional wines.

The interior of the cellar is not large. We learned that most of the producers vinified at the Colares Regional Winery. Until 1994, it was mandatory by law for this to happen … and then the thing went on … The winemaker of each house goes along with the winemaking process, and only the wine stage is done in the wine cellar itself. The Adega Viúva Gomes wine cellar does not (or did not have until very recently) own vineyards: it buys the grapes from several winemakers. We also learned that there is a partnership between Adega Viúva Gomes and Casca Wines.

Basically the Adega Viúva Gomes cellar has 2 brands of wine:

• Patrão Diogo (in homage to the ancestor) red and white, regional wines of Lisbon (rough ground)
• Viúva Gomes white and red, DOC colares (sand ground)

Patrão Diogo is a regional wine from Lisbon, with a production of around 25,000 bottles per year. The white is the base of Arinto and Fernão Pires. The red wine based on Castelão and Aragonês.
The Viúva Gomes are the jewel of the crown: the red with the base of Ramisco, and the white one to the base of Malvasia (of Colares). It is a very small production: 2500 bottles for red and 1200 for white. About 50% of this production goes to export, with the main market being the United States of America (with half), but also other less obvious countries like Norway …

The Wines:

// PATRÃO DIOGO BRANCO – Regional Lisboa

A wine with a fruity aroma (green apple); mineral in the mouth, fruity, smooth, pleasant, very light, with some final acidity, but overall slightly nauseating.

• Year: 2016
• Grape varieties: Arinto (45%), Fernão Pires (45%), Seara Nova (10%)
• Alcohol content: 13% vol.
• Price: 6 euros
• Rating: 14,5p

// VIÚVA GOMES BRANCO – Colares DOC

Less luxuriant than the previous one in the nose. In the mouth it is dry, little fruit, very mineral, very saline and with a remarkable acidity.

• Year: 2015
• Grape varieties: Malvasia (from Colares)
• Alcohol content: 12,5% vol.
• Price: 20 euros (garrafa 50cl)
• Rating: 17p

// PATRÃO DIOGO TINTO – Regional Lisboa

A nice wine, with red fruits on the nose and palate, relatively light but with some freshness and minerality that reflect the terroir.

• Year: 2015
• Grape varieties: Castelão, Aragonês
• Alcohol content: 13,5% vol.
• Price: 6 euros
• Rating: 15p

// VIÚVA GOMES TINTO – Colares DOC

Bottled in December 2017. Normally these wines are aged for two years in French oak barrels and 5 years in barrels. Made with 50% of the wine lure. It is said to have aroma of cedar resin … Well, it is possible, along with some fruit … In the mouth it is dry, vegetable, salty, with somewhat aggressive tannins but not too much, and with a very interesting final mineral acidity . To evolve in the bottle in the next decades …

• Year: 2009
• Grape varieties: Ramisco (95%)
• Alcohol content: 12,5% vol.
• Price: 20 euros (garrafa 50cl)
• Rating: 16.5p

And we were presented with another top of the range wine:

// VIÚVA GOMES TINTO – Colares DOC

At the time made with 100% of the wine lure (as happened until the late 90’s). More brownish tone. licorish Aroma. In the mouth all it is lightness and elegance, with firm tannins, pharmacy notes, and surprising end by the remarkable acidity !!!! In perfect shape, and to last !!!!

• Year: 1969
• Grape varieties: Ramisco (95%)
• Alcohol content: 11% vol.
• Price: 60 euros (garrafa de 650 ml)
• Rating: 18p

Viúva Gomes: what future?

• They acquired a land of about 1 hectare and a half (3000 m of sand floor) to have some own vineyards …
• They will bet on organic wines …
• And how about Ramisco on hard ground ?? Why not? …

And so we finished our visit. José Baeta was very kind and offered us 2 bottles of the old Red Viúva Gomes for our monthly wine tasting event of the month: this months it’s called “Relics”. Wine tasting event that, decided by W4P staff right after we left the cellar, will not be a blind tasting event (exceptionally), for reasons that we will explain later.

We have to thank Mr. José Baeta, the kindness of the invitation, the reception and reception, and of course, the 2 bottles of wine.

ADEGA VIÚVA GOMES
Largo Comendador Gomes da Silva, 2 e 3 Almoçageme, 2705-041 Colares
+351 219 290 903
+351 967 248 345

w4p (MAR 2018)