At the "The Vintage Lisboa" Hotel, thirty-six judges met on September 27th to decide which wines were the best to enter in yet another edition of the "Press' Choice" competition. Almost 350 wines were on the tasting list, in five categories: sparkling, white, rosé, red and liqueur. In the end, four wines were chosen to win the coveted "Press' Choice Grand Prize", awarded to the winners after a final round with the three highest-scoring wines in each category. The only exception was the rosés, where no wine achieved a score for this award. The next 10 best in terms of score (nine of the rosés) won the "Press' Choice" award.
It should also be noted that the composition of this jury is unusual: it combines professional tasters with vast experience and several others who, although not new to the subject, already have contact with the subjects of gastronomy and wine and are lovers of wine nectars. In between, there are also judges with a varied background in this area. It is a somewhat heterogeneous group, but the organization believes that including oenophiles in a group of tasting professionals allows the evaluation of wines to be, so to speak, closer to the level of the most common consumer. In other words, the Press Choice competition aims to be closer to the regular consumer of good wines, broadening the range of opinions to people who are frequent and interested connoisseurs.
A word about the portfolio, which is simply impressive: almost all the producers who entered submitted their top-of-the-range wines. To give you an idea of the validity of this statement, the average retail price of the 53 award-winning wines was over 30 euros per bottle!
The results were announced today at the Encontro com o Vinho e Sabores and here is the list of winners. It should be noted that the “Press Choice Awards” are listed in alphabetical order.
SPARKLING WINES
Note: all sparkling wines are white
Press Choice Grand Prize
Quinta da Calçada Imperial Harvest Minho Reserve (Agrimota Agricultural and Forestry Society)
Press Picks
Cabriz White de Noir Dão Touriga Nacional 2012 (Global Wines)
Marquis of Marialva Cuvée Bairrada 2011 (Coop. Winery of Cantanhede)
Mountain Grand Cuvée Baga-Bairrada 2012 (Mountain Cellars - A. Henriques)
Montes Claros Alentejo 2013 (Borba Winery)
Murganheira Assemblage Távora-Varosa Grande Reserva 2002 (Varosa Agricultural and Commercial Society)
Murganheira Cuvée Távora- Varosa Special Reserve 2006 (Varosa Agricultural Company)
Murganheira Vintage Távora- Varosa 2007 (Varosa Agricultural and Commercial Society)
Raposeira Blanc de Noirs Super Reserva 2011 (Caves da Raposeira)
Royal Company Old Pinot Noir-Chardonnay 2013 (Royal Company Old)
São Domingos Baga-Bairrada 2012 (Cellars of the Solar of São Domingos)
WHITES
Press Choice Grand Prize
Dory Regional Lisbon Reserve 2014 (Adegamãe - Agricultural Society)
Press Picks
2015 Alvarinho (Cuts from Above)
Grandjó Douro Late Harvest 2012 (Real Companhia Velha)
Kopke Douro Reserva 2014 (Sogevinus Fine Wines)
Malhadinha Alentejo Region 2015 (New Malhadinha Estate)
Marquesa de Alorna Do Tejo Grande Reserva 2013 (Soc. Agrícola da Alorna)
Monte da Ravasqueira Alentejo Reserve 2015 (D. Diniz Agricultural Company)
Walls of Melgaço Green Wine Alvarinho 2015 (Anselmo Mendes Wines)
Quinta do Gradil Reg. Lisbon Chardonnay 2015 (Quinta do Gradil - Wine Society)
Terras do Grifo Douro Reserve 2015 (Rozès)
Dão Winery 2014
ROSES
Press Picks
House of the Lake Reg. Lisbon 2015 (DFJ Wines)
Covela Reg. Minho 2015 (Lima & Smith)
HO Douro 2015 (Horta Osório Agricultural House)
Thousand Paths Reg. Lisbon 2015 (Multiwines)
MR Premium Alentejo Reg. 2015 (Agricultural Company D. Diniz)
Pluma Green Wine 2015 (House of Vila Verde Agricultural Soc.)
Quinta da Boa Esperança Reg. Lisbon 2015 (Favorite Purple)
Bairrada Baga-Pinot Noir Reserve 2015 (São João Cellars)
Lands of the Powder Reg. Setúbal Peninsula 2015 (Casa Ermelinda Freitas Wines)
RED
Press Choice Grand Prize
MR Premium Alentejo Reg. 2012 (Agricultural Company D. Diniz)
Press Picks
1836 Company of the Wetlands of the Tagus Grand Reserve 2014 (Company of the Wetlands)
Crochet Douro 2014 (Esteban & Tavares)
Great Estates Vineyards of Cerval Douro 2012 (Agricultural Company Casa D´Arrochella)
Private Collection 2012 (Alexandre Relvas Agricultural House)
Poliphonia Signature Reg. Alentejano 2012 (Granacer)
Quinta de Pancas Wines
Douro Reserve 2011 (Murças)
Ribeiro Santo Dão Great Choice 2011 (Magnum - Carlos Lucas Wines)
Three Berries Douro Great Choice 2011 (Feitoria Farmers)
Villa Oliveira Dão Touriga Nacional 2011 (The Shelter of the Catwalk)
LIQUEURANTS
Press Choice Grand Prize
Kopke Porto Harvest 1966 (Sogevinus Fine Wines)
Press Picks
Cabriz Ímpar Liqueur Wine (Global Wines)
Churchill's Port Vintage 2014 (Churchill Graham)
Henriques & Henriques Madeira Terrantez 20 Years Old (Henriques & Henriques -Wines)
Poças Port Harvest 1992 (Manoel D. Poças Junior - Wines)
Quinta da Gaivosa 20 year old Tawny Port (Domingos Alves de Sousa)
Quinta Seara d´Ordens 20 year old Tawny Port (Quinta Seara d´Ordens Agricultural Company)
Rozès Porto Tawny 20 Years Old (Rozès)
Soalheira Porto Old Tawny 20 years (Borges Wines Society)
Vasques de Carvalho 40-year-old Tawny Port (Vasques de Carvalho)
Vista Alegre Porto Vintage 2014 (Vallegre, Port Wines)
Source: Wine Magazine
