Port to Port wine

versão PT aqui

Past and present, tradition and modernity.

Summary of contents:

Part II:

Winemaking, praising traditional methods. The ageing of Port wines.
Wines that tell stories. Port wines. The rarities. D.O.C. Douro wines.
The markets, business volume and exports.
Reflections on the future, the Douro region, on Port wine and D.O.C. Douro wine.

The wine cellar in São João da Pesqueira.

((previous published, to access part I, here: Van Zellers & Co., Part I)

Part I:

How it all began, a journey through the history of the family and Van Zellers & Co.. Origins and historical references.
Cristiano Van Zeller, his life's journey in the Douro. Before the "New Douro", the adventure of the region's D.O.C. Douro wines. The Douro Boys.
The present. The new life of Van Zellers & Co. The new generation. Future projects.
New concepts and a new language.
Getting to know the vineyards, where the wines are born. The old vines factor, its importance, a living heritage. Characterising the vineyards.
Viticulture, preservation and sustainability. Traditional techniques. The “curettage”. Historic viticulture

Part II.

1. Winemaking, praising traditional methods. The ageing of Port wines.

Care in the vineyards is matched by commited work in winemaking. As with viticulture, despite the scientific advances in oenology that have led to many improvements in winemaking procedures, it is also believed in the importance of ancestral empirical knowledge, the region's traditional winemaking techniques, which have been passed down from generation to generation, often within the same family, and which are also an important and original factor in Douro oenology.

After manual harvesting and preliminary selection in the vineyard, the grapes are received, sorted and selected at the winery in São João da Pesqueira and then, in the case of D.O.C. Douro wine, the grape buinches are destemmed and, during this process, the grape skins are gently crushed and some must is released before the grapes enter the “lagares”.

The traditional "new" granite lagares have a capacity of between 3,000 and 4,000kg. They were recently installed and carried out the first vinifications at 100% capacity to vinify all grapes for red wine from the 2022 harvest. The vinifications of previous harvests, in 2020 and some from 2021, as the new winery was not yet complete, it was necessary to resort a friend for assistance to use the winery and the lagares, José Maria Calém (located in Vilarinho de Cotas, Alijó), who also had the support of his team of treaders in the lagares and the winemaker Duarte Calém.

The several grape varieties field blend present in the vineyards are harvested at the same time and that mixture remains in the lagares (or fermentation vats). The resulting wine is much richer and more complex than if the different grape varieties were fermented separately and blended afterwards. Many years of harvesting experience have shown that blending is always better, preferably when the blend is from old vines with different varieties mixed in the vineyard. This achieves greater concentration, and the combination of grape varieties adds complexity and layers of additional aromas and flavours, which would not happen if, for example, we mixed the same quantity and proportions of these varieties after fermentation. In old vineyards, everything is fermented together and the blend is made afterwards. In those cases where this is not possible, the blend is made in the winery.

At Zellers & Co., single-varietal wines are not produced, it is considered the traditional Douro to be related to and synonymous with blended wines.

When treading the grapesm, the aim is to enhance what nature has created by following the traditional foot treading process. According to Cristiano van Zeller, wines that are trodden by foot and fermented in a traditional lagar become much smother and intense than those made from the same grape varieties in stainless steel vats. In his experience, the quality of the Douro wines made in lagares is related with the difference between a vat and a granite wine press, the contact surface and the extent of the contact surface between the liquid and the grape skins, the oxygenation capacity during fermentation in lagar, which is an open tank and where there is always an oxidative effect on the wine, and the oxygenation of the must, which is very important. Then we have to consider that treading by foot is very intense and very gentle at the same time, and the extraction is absolutely extraordinary compared to what is obtained by other mechanical means. Empirically, the results are always better.

The co-fermentation of the various grape varieties is fundamental and allows the blend to take shape in the lagar. It is the combination of the different varieties mixed and fermented together that defines the profile and personality of the vineyard parcel and the wine. This fermentation is natural and spontaneous, using wild indigenous yeasts that have always been naturally present in the vineyards and in the winery, which are adapted to the location and best reflect the typical characteristics of the Douro terroir.

The D.O.C. Douro white wines vinification. The hand-picked grapes are selected and destemmed before being slightly pressed in a pneumatic press. Destemming, i.e., the process of separating the grapes from the stems, is essential to remove unwanted tannins from the wines and contribute to an intense and silky structure. Only the first must is used and decanted at a temperature of 10ºC for 24 hours into stainless steel vats with a capacity of 2500 litres. The must is then transferred to 225 and 500 litre wood barrels, where it ferments for over 25 days at controlled temperatures between 10º and 14ºC and ages in the same barrels for over eight months with battonage. In the special case of VZ white wine, each grape variety is fermented separately, here using new and used french oak barrels where the wine ages for nine months also with battonage.

The D.O.C. Douro red wines vinification. After manual harvesting and grape selection, destemming takes place, an operation in which the skins are gently crushed before the grapes are placed in traditional granite lagares where they are trodden by foot, following the region's ancient vinification methods, and fermented naturally with indigenous yeasts. The different grape varieties ferment together, ensuring the balance and final character of the wines.

The Port wine vinification. In the vinification of red Port wines, after a preliminary selection, the bunches, in this case without destemming, are placed in granite lagares and then traditionally trodden by foot, followed by fermentation in the same lagares for 2 to 5 days, with about 15% of the total wine spirit, in order to macerate the grapes at lower temperatures and for longer periods of time and homogenise the mixture before interrupting fermentation.

The foot treading takes place throughout the fermentation period. When the desired residual sugar level is reached, fermentation is suspended by adding the remaining wine spirit to the must in the lagar in a single step. The wine will then remain in the lagar for about two days, with light treading twice a day for about ten minutes. At the same time, a traditional manual vertical press is used to press all the solid matter remaining from the lagares and extract the "press wine", that will contribute to enrich the colour and tannins. The wine is then transferred (together with the wine resulting from pressing) to stainless steel vats where it spends its first winter. It then passes to old oak barrels, with capacities varying greatly between 600 and 10.000 litres, for ageing for 18 to 24 months. Only after two or three years is the decision made about the wine's destiny, Tawny or Ruby. In the case of LBV Port and other red Port wines, the wine is transferred to storage vats, followed by a period of old casks – over a hundred years old – and small stainless steel vats.

The white Port wine vinification. All white grapes for Port wine are trodden by foot before fermentation, together with 10% of the total wine spirit that will be added in the following fortification. Fortification is carried out in a single step when the wine spirit is added to the wine fermenting in the lagar. At this point, treading helps to improve integration and homogenisation. The must and grape spirit remain in the lagar for another two days, with a light treading twice a day for approximately ten minutes. The final result, together with the “press wine” is stored in stainless steel vats and then aged in very old wooden casks over 100 years old (which will give it the necessary complexity) and also in small stainless steel vats for a minimum period of two years. The final blend is prepared before bottling.

The Port wine ageing periods in wood and their evolution are always closely monitored. The wines are tasted frequently to ensure the desired balance and consistency, and the necessary adjustments are made to the volume of the barrels. The wines are refreshed and corrected with small additions to balance alcohol evaporation and preserve freshness. The older the wine, the greater the need for constant monitoring. In the Van Zellers & Co. wine cellar, each barrel in which Port wine is aged has its own character, colour, aroma, flavour and texture.

The oldest Port wines, that is, the collection of old and very old Tawny Colheita Ports, which also includes rare Port wines from the 19th century, are transferred and stored in smaller capacity stainless steel vats (600 litres) once they have reached a certain stage of barrel ageing and according to the defined criteria for the desired style, have oxidised sufficiently, that are not completely full (approximately between half and two-thirds of its total capacity, which still allows for some minimal oxidative process to continue), as a method of preserving the wines, an original and imaginative means of maintaining freshness, but above all radically reducing the natural loss of volume due to evaporation of water and alcohol, as happens when wines are kept in wooden barrels, also reducing the need for adjustments and corrections, which in these cases are minimal. They are then bottled according to orders.

There is another curious and original detail worth mentioning regarding the ageing of some Port wines. Van Zellers & Co. maintains a partnership with a french company specialised in rental and sale of new and used wine barrels. Thus, with this system, some of the younger Port wines, between the immediately preceding harvest year and up to 3 and 4 years old, are aged in heavily used barrels (3 to 4 years old) and conveniently seasoned, where Bordeaux red wines were previously aged, which are supplied by this partner. This initial impression of the wood will fade over the years. After the ageing period in the company's warehouses, which varies from several months to a few years, the barrels are then sold to companies producing whisky, bourbon, rum and craft beer.

2. Wines that tell stories. Port wines. The rarities. D.O.C. Douro wines.

Van Zellers & Co “it has always been a Port wine company, with table wine.”

“It is unthinkable to be in the Douro and not have Port wine” and the aim is to continue this great tradition and the long history of Port wine in the region, valuing and honouring the family tradition. Over the years the house has been making a major investment – an investment that began in 2007 – in re-establishing its stocks of Port wine, in terms of both quantity and diversity, especially very old tawnies. This investment is a continuous commitment that will have to be maintained for some time to allow for the preservation of a high level of quality and achieve a broad base of wines important to better define future blends. To build up stocks of wines for 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 and 80-year-old Tawny Ports, the house goes to the market of wine producers who have old wines and also to the Casa do Douro auctions, whenever the opportunity arises.

There is a continuous reinvestment in stocks of old Port wines, which are limited by their very nature, at least until the wines produced each year and aged in the cellar reach the desired levels of ageing, and the current “benefício” is sufficient for Van Zellers & Co.'s present and future needs.

It is also expected that, in the White, Ruby, Tawny and LBV reserve Port wine categories, within five to six years, there will be some capacity for growth and increase in volume for bottling, after which this capacity will increase for 10-year-old Tawny Port wines, always ensuring a relevant stock level.

Port wine crafted by hand.

Van Zellers & Co. White Port and White, Ruby and Tawny Reserve Port wines.

White Port is made from a blend of 15 different white grape varieties from old vineyards but also from more recent vines, located in the Cima Corgo sub-region, mainly in the Murça area. As described above, ancestral winemaking methods are followed for this style of Port wine, which do not differ greatly from those used for red Port wines. They are aged in the same type of very old casks, over a hundred years old, and partly in small stainless steel vats, for a minimum period of two years before the final blend is made. Has dominant aromas of peach and orange.

White Reserve Port undergoes a longer ageing period of six years. Ruby Reserve Port, in turn, is produced according to traditional winemaking techniques like all of the house's Port wines, a serious ruby Port. After a minimum ageing period of three years, the final blend is made from the youngest Port wines, at the point where they best reveal the characteristic intensity and purity of fresh black and red fruit and a good acidity. Tawny Reserve Port is made with grapes from more than 30 native grape varieties, from different old and more recent single-varietal vineyards located mainly in the Pinhão and Torto river valleys. It is composed of a blend of Port wines with an average age of six years, aged in very old wood casks.

Tawny Port with age indication: Van Zellers & Co. 10 and 20 years old Tawny Port, 30, 40, 50 and 80 years very old Tawny Port.

Less wine and more Port. These are wines that represent the blend in the broadest sense of its definition. They are, first and foremost, a blend of many different grape varieties, and then a blend of different wines from different vintages. It is man, with his experience and knowledge accumulated over many years, who chooses the various components of the final blend that will be bottled.

“Aromas are a memory that lasts a lifetime” and this memory is an irreplaceable element that is passed on to successive generations in a Port wine house. The challenge that this style of Port wine poses for the winemaker or master blender is to ensure a consistent and recognisable profile over the years in accordance with the average age mentioned on the label. At Van Zellers & Co., one blend is made per year.

Tawny Port with an age indication is produced from 30 different grape varieties, traditional to the Douro region, originating from old vines and also more recente single variety vineyards in different locations in the Torto and Pinhão river valleys, in the Cima Corgo sub-region, which historically, especially when it comes to more aged tawnies, had its own characteristics and produced less concentrated and fresher wines that were excellent for producing this style of Port wines, intended to be aged for many years. The grapes are harvested manually and treated according to traditional winemaking processes, as described above for Port wines vinification. They are aged in very old wood casks, over 100 years old, until the final blend is defined.

The 10 year old Tawny Port has a limited production of a maximum of 6000 bottles each year. It is a Tawny with good structure and depth. Of the 20 year old Tawny, 3000 bottles per year, the 30 year old Tawny, 1500, the 40 year old Tawny, 700 bottles, of the 50 year old Tawny, a limited quantity of 150 bottles, and of the most recent 80 year old Tawny, a quantity of only 75 bottles per year. The wines are bottled according to orders.

Van Zellers & Co. 50 Year Very Old Tawny Port. It is a blend of very rare Port wines aged for 50 years in very old oak casks and Van Zellers & Co. 80 Year Very Old Tawny Port is the latest tawny with a very old age indication in the portfolio. A unique wine made from a careful selection of very old wines chosen by Cristiano van Zeller, which have aged for eight decades in oak casks. The criterion was to select only wines that have retained their freshness and immense complexity, which are characteristic of this wine.

Overall, the progression of the ageing allows us to evaluate the colour, aroma and flavour evolution, which gradually intensify, concentrate and develop. The wines gain complexity and a myriad of very particular aromas emerge, with dominant hints of wild berries and dried fruits, which are more evident in the 10 year old Tawny, followed by notes of dried fruit and orange blossom, ripe figs and honey in the 20 year old Tawny, and walnuts, fruit with honey, apricots and more exuberant spices in the 30 year old Tawny. The 40 year old Tawny aroma is more intense and rich, where we find raisins, spices, caramel and chocolate stand out. The 50 year old Tawny aromas are even more intense and deeper, with the presence of dried figs and almonds, dates, plums and black pepper, wood and tobacco. The 80 year old Tawny expression reveals great complexity and depth, with multiple layers of flavours, spices, caramelised dried fruits, exotic wood, toffee, candied orange peel, tobacco, extraordinary acidity and an endless finish.

Small-capacity stainless steel vats (600 litres) in which very old Port wines are stored once they have reached the desired stage of maturity.

Port wine crafted by time.

The value of time is a fundamental element of Port wine, allowing it to evolve, changing its structure and body, the primary aromas of young wines, and softening the tannins. During the ageing of Tawny Port wines, which spend their entire life in barrels and change completely over time, the initial fresh fruit evolves into other aromas and flavours, such as dried fruit, orange peel, orange blossom, toffee, caramel, honey, spices, etc.

Time in Port wine is also a different kind of time, one that is understood differently. There are no shortcuts and there is a continuity that is neither concrete nor evident. The notion and perception of time during the moments of transformation and evolution of Port wine, which cannot be controlled, is unclear. Port wines transform over time in such a way that there are constant surprises. “It is a time that far exceeds us, a time that is finite and infinite at the same time. Ageing wines with sufficient time in na infinite diversity.”.

Very old Colheita or Single Harvest Tawny Ports. At Van Zeller & Co., these wines from a single harvest express the characteristics of the year in which they were born and with their own individuality that distinguishes them from Tawnies with an indication of age. They are therefore not blended wines and have always been a tradition of Port wine houses, representing an accumulated heritage. These are wines that only time can make, modify and shape through ageing in casks. At Van Zeller & Co., Tawny Colheita Port wines never age for less than 25 to 30 years, and considering the different ageing times, there are significant variations in profile. And, obviously, the longer the ageing time, the more complex, rich and concentrated the aromas and flavours are, and of course they become more valued.

The cellar houses a varied and important collection of Very Old Colheita Tawnies or Single Harvest Port wines, dating back to the 1934, 1935, 1950, 1968, 1976 and 1989 harvests.

Van Zellers & Co. Very Old Single Harvest White Port 1940. This is a white Colheita Port from the house's collection of very old Port wines, aged separately for many years without any blending, in old oak casks. The portfolio also includes another white Colheita Port from the 1968 harvest.

On this subject, another purpose is also to ensure special editions of these rare white and old tawnies evoke history and memories, often only a few hundred bottles available.

The rarities.

The Van Zellers & Co. VV Old Tawny Port. The Rare XIX Port Collection. These wines represent a valuable and unique heritage that the house has had in stock for several years, expressed in a trilogy of rare 19th-century Port wines, a celebration of the history of the Douro and a testament to dedication and passion. A very limited edition, up to 75 bottles of each of three different vintages, 1888, 1870 and 1860, although the date is not indicated on the label, as they are not registered with the IVDP (Port and Douro Wines Institute) and are difficult to date. According to internal records, it is thought that they correspond to the dates indicated. They are the story of admirable resistance to time, of how these wines have evolved and the transformations they have undergone. Obviously, they are considered extremely rare wines. In addition to their 19th century origin, the quantities are very small and the quality is extraordinary.

(Van Zellers & Co.)

There are no records of any intervention or refreshing having been carried out over the years on these very, very old Tawnies. They are admirably complex wines, with enormously concentrated aromas and flavours and impressive richness and depth and express the grandeur that very old Port wines can achieve and are more than just a selection of wines, they are presented as a journey through time, associated with significant historical and family moments, as follows:

1860, Crafted by Liberty, is the oldest wine in stock. It was the year Abraham Lincoln was elected the 16th president of the United States of America, heralding winds of change. This very old Tawny Port also embodies the unwavering spirit of freedom.

1870, Crafted by Family, was the year Cristiano van Zeller's great-great-grandparents were married. It represents the family which started a legacy of generations and evokes the enduring strength of family ties.

1888, Crafted by Poetry, marks the birth of Fernando Pessoa and conveys the creative spirit of the great Portuguese writer and the analogy between his verses and the composition of the complex aromas and flavours of wine and sharing.

“Through Liberty we have chosen them, through Family we have cared for them, through Poetry we are sharing them”.

This special edition, limited to 75 boxes containing the collection of three wines, was a project that involved a considerable number of important details, with creative direction by Rita Rivotti and design by Pedro Roque, starting with the model of the old hand-blown bottles, the hand-lacquered wood boxes, including a crystal decanter based on the historical model of the Port Wine Brotherhood (Confraria do Vinho do Porto), the result of a partnership with Vista Alegre Atlantis, and three traditional handmade silver bottle necklaces, designed by the master craftsmen of “Leitão & Irmão” (the former official jewellers to the Portuguese crown). The wines were bottled in March 2024. In October 2024, this edition was awarded this year's Gold Award in recognition of the special design packaging in which they are presented.

(Van Zellers & Co.)

Another special Port wine is planned to be launched, an old Tawny Port that will celebrate the company's 400th anniversary, consisting of a blend of wines from the 1860s, 1870s, 1950s and 2000s, of which 400 litres will be bottled. The sum of the age of each of these wines in 2020 is equal to 400. The portuguese visual artist Pedro Cabrita Reis will participate in this project.

“The most important thing is to refocus on the last 30 years, but now on Port wine”. Cristiano van Zeller.

Port wine crafted by nature.

Van Zellers & Co. Late Bottled Vintage Port (with editions in 2015, 2016, 2017, 2019 and 2020). This is a classic or traditional style LBV, unfiltered, produced from a selection of more than 25 traditional Douro grape varieties, predominantly Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Amarela, Sousão and many others, from old vines. As mentioned, traditional winemaking methods are used. During the foot treading of the grapes and before fermentation, 10% of the total wine spirit to be added at the end of fermentation was added. This method is used to allow the grapes to macerate at lower temperatures and for a longer period. Then, when the must is ready for fortification, the remaining wine spirit is added to the must in the lagar and this mixture is kept in the lagar for two or three days, with light treading twice a day for about ten minutes to ensure better integration of the must with the grape spirit. The wine is then transferred to a stainless steel vats, to which the press wine is added, to achieve adequate homogenisation, before ageing in very old oak barrels about 100 year old and small stainless steel vats for a period of 42 to 48 months. This is an LBV with a characteristic profile, concentrated black and red fruits, good structure and balance, elegant and with good persistence. It ages well in bottle.

Van Zellers & Co. (Ocean) Crusted Port. This is a special traditional category of superior quality Port wine, little known and uncommon, considering the quantities produced and the small number of producers dedicated to it. The company is introducing a Crusted Port to mark the 500th anniversary of Luís de Camões. It has several unique features, it is a wine made entirely from the 2021 harvest, produced from a blend of two fermentations from two different vineyard plots. One of these wines was aged in casks for two years and the other wine in stainless steel vats. It is also a Port wine created by the sea, with the unique feature that the entire stock of this first edition was submerged in the Atlantic (on 17 March 2025), under the same conditions as the 2020 Ocean Aged Vintage Port edition, but for a longer period of time. A total of 551 bottles were bottled in 2024, which will resurface in 2027 and then spend another year in the bottle in the house wine cellar.

Van Zellers & Co. Vintage Port. Vintage Port is the representation of a wine ‘created by nature’ in all its essence. It is “one of the most natural wines there is”; in short, it is nature in a bottle. It is the pure and intense fruit that we taste in the younger vintages.

The potential for vintage Port always originates in the same reference vineyards, and every year there is great anticipation. Based on a careful selection of the best grapes of each year from the best vineyard plots, from a blend of more than 25 traditional Douro grape varieties from old vines over sixty years old, located in the Torto river valley, and part of the Valença do Douro vineyard (located at a higher altitude) usually used for the house's Port wines, which are vinified using the traditional methods already described above. Until bottling, and despite the controlled temperature of the warehouses where they are stored in São João da Pesqueira, they are removed from the barrels and casks and transferred to stainless steel vats, where they spend the summer. They are bottled without any fining or filtering.

The special edition of Vintage 2020 celebrated the 400th anniversary of Van Zellers & Co.. Of the 2,800 bottles produced, 102 were submerged in the Atlantic Ocean off the coast of Sines for a period of ageing, in what was called “Ocean Aged Vintage Port”. It is the first Port wine to be aged underwater.

Van Zellers & Co. Vintage Port wine chart

D.O.C. Douro wines.

Van Zellers & Co. does not follow the wine classifications or traditional additional designations (such as those commonly used for Douro wines, such as ‘Reserva’ or ‘Grande Reserva’). What matters most is the value of the brand and recognition of the intrinsic quality of the wines, which is built up over time through the consistent quality and success of the wines.

Wines crafted by nature.

CV – Curriculum Vitae Douro red. A wine first produced in the 2003 harvest and has become a benchmark for the region and the country. With the consistency of its successive editions, it has earned iconic status among the great wines of the Douro. Produced from grapes from a single vineyard, the Silvas vineyard (see Part I, point 5). The fact that there is a significant amount of Touriga Francesa mixed in contributes greatly to the characteristic profile of this wine, as it is a grape variety that brings freshness to the blend and has a more pronounced black fruit profile. After being selected and destemmed, the grapes are trodden by foot in granite lagares for 2 to 3 days. Fermentation takes place at controlled temperatures (22 to 27ºC) and during the 8 to 12 days of fermentation, the grapes are trodden more occasionally to improve the extraction of tannins, colour and flavours and to ensure the overall consistency. Once fermentation is complete, the wine is transferred to 225 litre french Allier oak barrels, 75% of which are new, where malolactic fermentation takes place for better integration of the wood into the wine and where it then ages for a period of 26 months. After the final blend has been defined and before bottling, it is aged for a further 2 months in stainless steel vats. Structure and elegance are what best define it.

The wine was recently awarded 98 points by American critic Mark Squires of Robert Parker - The Wine Advocate, to CV-Curriculum Vitae red 2016. The aim is to maintain a consistent wine over the years with consolidated international recognition, with its own style and characteristics, it is also the result of years of experience and acquired knowledge of this vineyard.

CV – Curriculum Vitae Douro white. It is one of the great white wines of the Douro, first produced in 2013. It comes from a single vineyard, the small “Fonte da Gafa” old vineyard (located at an altitude of 480 metres) (see Part I, point 5). It is produced from a field blend of around 10 white grape varieties which, after being selected and destemmed are lightly pressed in a horizontal pneumatic press (for many years, pressing was carried out in vertical presses, with different results). The must is cold settled and fermented in barrels with temperature control for approximately 25 days. This is followed by a period of ageing in the same new and second-year french oak barrels, with a capacity of 225 litres, for 8 months. In recent editions, the wine has been aged in new barrels with a larger capacity, which allows for better integration of the wood. The wines are monitored and tasted to prepare the final blend before bottling. It is an expressive and complex wine with a very distinctive style, which has been improving with successive editions, also as a result of the viticultural work that has been carried out in the vineyard. It has great ageing potential in bottle.

Wines crafted by hand.

VZ Douro red. A “new” Douro red wine which was first made from grapes harvested in 2004. The wine is made from a field blend with more than 30 different grape varieties from various vineyards aged between 30 and 80 years old and located in various areas of the region, in Valença do Douro, the Torto river valley and Casal de Loivos. After selection, the grapes are trodden in granite lagares for 1 to 3 days before fermentation, which takes place in the same lagares. The final stage of fermentation takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats (between 22 and 27ºC) with manual pigéage (a method that consists of regularly submerging the solid layer of skins and seeds that forms on the surface of the fermenting wine). The wine is then transferred to french Allier oak barrels (with a capacity of 225 and 300 litres) where malolactic fermentation and subsequent ageing take place for 26 months, keeping the different fermentations separate until the final blend is defined, after which it is kept for 2 months in stainless steel vats before bottling. It has a good structure profile with complexity and elegance.

Wines crafted by time.

VZ 15 generations Douro red. This wine is produced from around 30 different traditional grape varieties originating from old vines in various locations in the Cima Corgo sub-region. The grapes are trodden by foot in granite lagares for 24 hours and then fermented in 5.000 kg stainless steel vats for 8 to 12 days. Then, after racking and pressing, it is aged in used 225 litre french oak barrels (first and second year) until bottling.

It celebrates the 15th generation of the Van Zeller family, which began in 2013 and continues its work in this business. A limited edition, in which the challenge for the new generation (Francisca, Cristiano and João van Zeller) was a joint decision on the composition of the final blend from the barrels selected by Cristiano van Zeller. Its main general characteristics are aromatic complexity, structure and depth, with good potential for ageing in bottle.

3. The markets, business volume and exports.

Currently, Van Zellers & Co., considering the average of recent years of own and purchased grapes processed during the harvest, the total production is 55% Port wine (including grape brandy) and 45% D.O.C. red and white wines.

Considering Port wine and D.O.C. Douro wines production and sales, the total is no more than 60 to 70 thousand bottles per year (for example, in 2022, a total of 57.000 bottles were produced), in 2023 more than 75 thousand bottles were sold and in 2024 slightly less. And this is the long-term goal: to sell a reasonable volume of very high-quality wines with added value every year, at most around 60.000 bottles, maintaining a limit on the quantities sold each year, creating and managing demand to generate value over time, i.e., the main focus will be on value rather than quantity. In terms of value, sales have grown in recent years, starting in the last half of 2020, when sales reached 198 thousand euros, in 2021 they reached approximately 650 thousand euros, and in 2022, one million one hundred thousand euros in sales, which represented a growth of about 50% over what was expected.

Currently, the total volume of wines that Van Zellers & Co. exports varies between 50 and 60% and is exported to approximately 20 international markets, with a special emphasis on the US, Germany, Italy, France, Canada, but also Ireland and Macau.

4. Reflections on the future, the Douro region, on Port wine and D.O.C. Douro wine.

The Douro is experiencing a complex, difficult and uncertain historical moment, which has led to the development of a strategy for the future of the region, with the message “The Douro deserves better” (odouromerecemelhor), a document (proposed in July 2023) promoted by more than two dozen personalities linked to the wine sector in the Douro region, which identifies the main problems, from the region's imbalances to the decline in Port wine sales, the price of grapes and the socio-economic sustainability of winegrowers and companies, which are the negative consequences of the current regulatory framework that has not been changed for almost a century and which is essential to reform in view of the changes of recent decades. It aims to mark the beginning of a process of debate and discussion, of comprehensive responses, and its main purpose is to move beyond the current phase of inertia in the general structure of the Douro Demarcated Region.

On Port wine. According to Cristiano van Zeller, Port wine is currently undergoing a difficult period of restructuring, reaffirmation and consolidation of styles and quality, as well as market stabilisation. However, there has been a significant increase in the number of producers and new brands of Port wine entering the market which, rather than being a sign of decline, is a symptom of its regenerative capacity. We will certainly continue to see a decline in quantities, but also a greater dedication to higher quality Port wines with increasing quality and greater added value, which is the path that everyone desires, i.e., achieving fair remuneration for Port wine houses and exporters and the wine growers that produce the grapes for Port wine.

We are faced with a dynamic market in full evolution and the goal will be to bring Port wine into this modernity and take advantage of the revolution that has taken place with D.O.C Douro wines. In fact, Port wine has not kept pace with this movement and it is now essential to focus on the essence of what has been successfully achieved over the last thirty years, giving it greater communicational importance and a prominent position, equivalent to D.O.C. Douro wines, thereby strengthening the region as a whole. When it comes to Port wine, its long history and unique characteristics, the time it takes to create, age and sell a Port wine is very different, it is more difficult to innovate and changes take much longer.

However, despite all the difficulties, there is a generation interested in Port wine, but few people dedicated to the business, currently just over thirty Port wine companies, which is scarce if we take into account the importance of Port wine in the total dimension of Portuguese wines in the world. There are also new developments and innovations, particularly in terms of brands, operators, diversity and communication, language and company design.

It is a joint responsibility, requiring experimentation and a great deal of imagination to reignite interest in these wines in a more traditional way and understand how this wine maintains its importance. There will probably be many solutions depending on the various markets and generations.

Van Zellers & Co. is committed to recreating, with a different strategy and with the aim of arousing interest in what Port wine represents, its quality and all the potential it has to offer the world of wines, highlighting its contemporary nature despite its age. The rarest editions of Port wines also have the effect of arousing interest in other categories and styles and enhancing the value of the Douro region as a whole.

The primary incentive is to restore Port wine to its traditional status as a wine of exceptional historical and cultural value, while also embracing its modernity, because Port is a contemporary wine that has a place not only in the past, but also in the present and future, and that is the great challenge we face today.

“There is an audinece for classic Port wine and an audience for more innovative Ports. And there are all kinds of Port wines, for all kinds of imaginations and tastes.” Cristiano van Zeller.

This is a long journey that requires extensive knowledge and training, with a focus on promoting Port wine and explaining it properly, in which communication plays a very important role. It is a crucial work and also, often, a selfless and generous act, so that a younger generation can once again believe in Port wine.

It is also important to consider that D.O.C. Douro wine represents an important synergy for Port wine, such that the Douro cannot currently be understood without these two styles of wine, which constitute the fundamental essence of the region. The commitment to the region's development should be to create value, greater demand for all production and, subsequently, greater demand than supply. This effort should be more effective, without dispersing resources and efforts, highly concentrated on markets that are large and influential, well known in the world of wine, followed and with purchasing power.

D.O.C. Douro wines. This designation of origin, created in 1986, is still relatively recent. Ten years ago, there were half as many D.O.C. Douro producers registered with the IVDP as there are today, which is an indication of the vitality of the sector, as is the increase in the quantity and sales of table wines from the region. There is a wide variety of wines from different grape varieties currently in use, and old varieties are being replanted after the great mistake of recent years, which was to focus excessively on just five grape varieties, ignoring the diversity that is one of the region’s greatest assets.

The Douro is an extraordinarily diverse and complex region that undoubtedly has a bright future ahead of it, with expectations for growth. The pioneers of the 1990s were followed by a new generation of winemakers who created a “new Douro”, a region admired for its diversity, innovation, imagination and quality. After this phase, with consistent quality assured and recognised, the main focus now will be on promoting the wines, which will require more intensive joint communication efforts, such as those carried out by the Douro Boys. The aim is to achieve and reinforce quality, especially in terms of the number of high-quality producers, and to reinforce added value. This construction of quality, however, depends on a decisive factor, which is to own our own vineyards and grapes, in other words, we cannot be dependent on third-party grapes, because without control it is not possible to ensure the necessary consistency of quality to make great D.O.C. Douro wines.

The challenge is that the great wines of the Douro (and of the country in general), especially those with smaller volumes that do not yet have an international reputation that reflects what they represent (for example, the great wines of the Douro have shelf prices between 10 and 50% lower than the wines of the Spanish Douro), are the wines that are important to consider for the image of the region. But only time will guarantee that the consistency of quality is recognised and deserves appreciation, and this is a task that certainly will take many years, even decades.

Mountain viticulture must produce wines with the distinctive quality that the region has, it must be able to convey this quality and achieve recognition for it, so that the necessary recognition can follow. The Douro cannot have mass-production wine brands and the reality is that the region currently produces more wine than it can sell.

Climate change. In summary and without going into detail, there are currently several standard indicators: the progressive trend for harvests to start earlier than in the past. In general, the climate is more unpredictable and there is a change in rainfall, presently rain is more concentrated in certain seasons or periods of the year and does not occur throughout the year, which requires better and careful management to make the most of rainwater. As far as temperatures are concerned, there have been some very hot years, especially in the recent past, but these periods of intense heat have also occurred in the past and climate variability has always existed, and plants respond differently to climate change in general, so we need more time to reach definitive conclusions. Average temperature records are slightly higher, and average rainfall is approximately the same, but it is not as evenly distributed throughout the year as we mentioned above.

Van Zellers & Co.'s business is managed in accordance with these conditions and their future evolution, we can give a few examples: in addition to vineyards at lower altitudes, higher altitude vineyards with very diverse grape varieties and the right grape varieties to cope with the drier climate, more sustainable viticulture and earlier pruning.

The wine cellar in São João da Pesqueira.

The two warehouses and wine cellar of Van Zellers & Co. are located in São João da Pesqueira. Together, they cover a total area of approximately 900 m². The area for Port and Douro D.O.C. wines vinification, reception, grape selection and vinification and the traditional granite lagares (warehouse 4), in a second wine cellar intended for the storage of wood barrels, casks and vats of different capacities where the house's Port wines and the collection of old and very Port wines is stored. It also includes the bottling area and tasting room.

Warehouse 9 is used for the storage and ageing of Douro D.O.C. wines and Port wines, as well as storage and ageing of bottles and the labelling, packaging and preparation for transport.

All areas reserved for wine ageing and storage have controlled temperature.

Where?:

www.vanzellersandco.com

Parque Industrial do Lameirão, n.º 9

5130-310 São João da Pesqueira

hello@vanzellersandco.com

(the geographical references: 41°08'53.9"N 7°25'29.0"W )

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