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PORTUGAL
– REGION –
Harvest season at Barão de Vilar
Roboredo Madeira has a story to tell, marking the best
moments in life.”
Rui Roboredo worked in various wine regions before
settling down in the area where he really wanted to be.
As he says himself, “Having travelled through many of
the winemaking regions of the world and learned about
their practices, I returned to the Upper Douro, convinced
of its great potential to make world class wines. Showing
respect for nature in the way we grow our vines, my wines
reflect my experiences, and their aroma and taste are
those of my land. It is in my winery that I create wines
with the character of our terroir, expressed through native
grape varieties, on which I put my imprint and instil
international character. This is my life’s passion: the wine
of the great Douro Valley.”
The winery covers a total 107 hectares of owned vineyards,
27 of them farmed organically. It sells some 1.6 million
bottles annually and exports to 17 countries. In reality,
however, exports represent 25% of total sales, so the
domestic market holds an impressive share.
Ancient techniques, like horse-drawn tillage,
are used at Quinta do Saião
BARAO DEL VILAR –
STRENGTH THROUGH COMMITMENT
Located 50 km South of Lisbon, Barao del Vilar is a
company where the team is wholly committed to the
creation of value. The staff is motivated, competent and
innovative, and its mission is to make wines that live up
to customer expectations at a competitive price, while
still preserving the highest standards of quality and food
safety – the ultimate aim is to establish a relationship
based on trust and loyalty.
The company’s institutional name goes back to a title of
nobility conferred by the Queen of Portugal Maria II on
Cristiano Nicolau Kopke, the first Baron of Vilar, in 1836.
Through inheritance, the title remains the legitimate
possession of the family heirs.
The winemaker here is Alvaro Van Zeller who studied
agronomy in Brazil, followed by post-graduate studies in
Bordeaux, where he obtained a DEA in Viticulture and
Oenology. Subsequently, he joined Quinta do Noval
where, at an early age, he took over total responsibility
for blending, wine tasting and all winemaking duties.
Later, he was recruited as the head of wine tasting at the
82 AUTUMN 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE