DALVA Lote Miguel Castro Silva

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Tuesday, October 23, 2012 / / 0 comments

After a interruption of some months and following the enormous sucess of the DALVA Lote Miguel Castro Silva, it is bottled another lot, being now available at our C. da Silva Port & Wine Shop.

DALVA Lote Miguel Castro Silva, it is a White Port, although it gets confused with an old Aged Tawny or a very old White Port with over thirty years old, such is the impact of seeing the color for the first time.

DALVA LOTE Miguel Cstro Silva

During 20 years, Miguel Castro Silva has participated in Port wine tastings, experiencing combinations with this nectar, always trying to depart from the classical dessert.

After an extensive tasting discovering the vast stock of C. da Silva, arose the idea of creating a White Port with dry and open profile, thought to act as a balm, with a unique structure and color, an amber color with golden tints, highlights its potential when tasted with foie gras, orange cake and tuna based entrees.

Thought to taste at the table, but not only, DALVA Lote Miguel Castro Silva shows qualities of a Port wine thought for a simple tasting, served between 12º to 14º as an aperitif before a meal.

Decanting Port

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Wednesday, October 17, 2012 / / 0 comments

How to decant Port ?

The main objective is to enhance the tasting, from its visual appearance, taste and aroma. First of all, some accessories needed... a decanter washed with mineral water, a piece of cheesecloth, a funnel, Port tongs, water and a stove.

The traditional way is to leave the bottle standing up for a couple of days and pull out the protective cap and the cork without twisting or moving the bottle. (In the case of Vintage Port with some decades of aging, where excessive moisture causes wear of the stopper, should be used Port tongs).

First step is to place the iron side of the Port tongs into the hot stove, until it turn incandescent, than just need to put it 1 cm above the cork, firmly, about two minutes, take it off and than a little bit of water will cause the instant reaction, by breaking itself.

Grabbing the bottle, gently, start to pass it for the decanter, that on the top will have the cheesecloth inside of the funnel, ensuring that the finer and smaller sediments and eventually glass will spend to the decanter.

This ceremony not only keeps the Port drinkable for 3 or 4 days but will also aerate the nectar.
It depends on the time in bottle until 15 / 20 years after bottled, 48h to drink it, older than this 24h to finish the bottle, usually, the older the vintage, the quicker it must be consumed.

Vintage ports, Crusted and LBV´s, after a few years tend to gain a sediment in the bottle baseline and require a process named “decanting”.

As an extremely quality wine, the Port will continue to evolve in the glass, that if possible should be the official Port wine glass, designed in 2001 by Álvaro Siza Vieira (the most famous portuguese architect).

As a pairing for Vintage, desserts made with red fruits, blue or spicy cheeses, dark chocolate, a spicy tender loin or game. Serving between 16ºC to 18ºC.


Enjoy it ! 

Aged Brandy

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Wednesday, October 10, 2012 / / 0 comments

The DALVA Brandy VSOP, with over twenty five years old, had a great sucess at our Port & Wine store, nowadays sold out.

Once that we still have very old reserves of Brandy, the main goal now is the creation of a new concept, probably with another designation like "Aguardente Velha".

Aguardente - is the portuguese meaning for a distilled grape spirit, like for example: Rum; Tequilla; Grapa; vodka...

Velha - it means old, the more well known are the translucent spirits, although it can be aged in a oak pipe fading on a amber nutty colour and becoming more elegant and complex on taste.

 

How to make Brandy ?

After the grapes are pressed, the juice is left to ferment for two or three weeks, the alcohol content should be about 7% to 8%.

Distillation takes place in an alembic, two distillations must be done, resulting in a distilled grape spirit, with a translucent color, of about 70% alcohol.

Dalva Brandy V.S.O.P. will be aged in oak for at least twenty five years (average) before it can be sold to the public. As the Brandy interacts with the oak barrel and the air, it evaporates (about 3% a year) losing both alcohol and water.

Because the alcohol evaporates faster than water, it will reach to 40% alcohol by volume when released to the market.

DALVA Brandy VSOP

Brandy categories:

• VS Very Special, or ✯✯✯ (three stars) - the youngest brandy used in the blend is stored at least two years in cask.
• VSOP Very Special Old Pale - the youngest brandy used in the blend is stored at least four years in cask, with a much older average.
• XO Extra Old, the youngest brandy used in the blend is stored at least ten years in cask, the average should be older than twenty years