To the rest of the world...

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Friday, May 10, 2013 / / 0 comments

Based in Vila Nova de Gaia, since 1926, our cellars were the key that opened the door to export.

Here we held more than thirty regional representations that ensured the distribution of a wide variety of alcoholic beverages, such as Port Wines, Aged Brandy, sparkling wines, red table wines and Rosé.

2900 seasoned oak casks ageing a unique Port wine

Initially our customers were from the other side of the Atlantic, namely Brazil and USA, where our company had privileged contacts.
For the american market we have another brand, Presidential, altough it is the same Port wine, we are using a diferent name and packaging too.
The annualy overall sales about 3,500,000 bottles, our wide range of White and Colheita Ports have a significant importance.

With sales increasing and a perpetual desire to achive better quality. C. da Silva invested more than 2.500.000€ in the vinification center , at Alvações do Corgo, between 1998/99.
Nowadays 14 millions euros on the construction of a winery and a depot for logistics and storing, at Sanfins do Douro

The vineyards are situated in the demarcated region of the Douro valley, the Port wine´s cradle, the wines are produced under truly exceptional conditions on terraces.
To assure a great quality control we are keeping the tradition of purchasing the grapes from small grape growers.

Although produced and processed from grapes harvested 119 kms northeast from Oporto city, the Port Wine matures in Vila Nova de Gaia, where most of the Port wine traders have their Cellars and headquarters.

Our company, C. da Silva (Vinhos) SA has been blessed with a real charismatic mansion surrounded by gardens in the downtown. A mansion dated from the beginning of the 20th century coated with a brazilian style where we hope in a very near future to open its doors to tourism, altough our facilities aren´t huge, there are 10,000 square meters with traditional details that are being used as a shelter to 8,000,000 liters... it is in short a real cosy atmosphere.

The yeast... how important is it ?

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Thursday, May 02, 2013 / / 0 comments

A key element, very important in the wine making process, is the yeast. And why is it so important, although measuring 0.003 mm,? Because this live micro-organism transforms the fructose in the grape ethanol, the alcohol present in the wine.

 

It works in temperatures between 10 ° C and 35 ° C, the higher is the temperature, the faster is the fermentation.
 Yeast are all the same ?
No. The yeast that lives in a vineyard of white grape veritals is a different one of the one living in a vineyard of red grape varietals. They are all different, depending of the country or region.

And what are the best?
They all provide different aromas and it is the winemaker that must to choose according to each style or the House goal.
Once that the grapes arrived to the winery, the winemaker has two options: rely on indigenous yeast which is adapted to the local terroir forever, or use a yeast, which most likely originates from another region, possibly in another country, and that was developed in the laboratory to carry out the fermentation in a certain direction of aromas and flavors.

In the Douro region there are two scenarios, depending on whether we are talking about Port Wine or DOC Douro (still wine)...in general for Port wine the quantity is reduced when it takes on using selected yeasts. On the other hand, and contrary to Port wine, for Douro DOC wines, a generous number of producers of quality wines have been using selected yeasts.

The fact that, within the same region, have a type of wine made with foreign yeast and other with indigenous is not surprising given the history of wine.
The Port is a world reference, it has been is copied and falsified in many wine regions of the world.

But due to the uinque weather and soil characteristics together with a long portuguese know-how of the grape growers, the winemakers, the cellars masters, passing from generation to generation since the 17th century, nowhere in the world can make a wine as fantastic as the Port that is in the Douro.
 
Port Wine winemakers believe that the best yeast for Port wine is the one that is found in the vineyards.