A Charismatic Port Wine Cellar

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Thursday, November 10, 2011 / / 0 comments

C. da Silva (Vinhos) S.A. is a traditional Port wine Cellar, established in 1862, under portuguese registration (Corrêa Ribeiro & Filhos), and as carried the seal of long time supplier to the Portuguese Royal House.

Driven by the ambition of creating a sucessful export business, Mr. Clemente da Silva, a portuguese young man that had just arrived from Brazil in 1933.

Mr. Clemente da Silva inherited the Company through his marriage and has fulfilled a lifetime dream by starting the business from scratch, as well as the initial Port wine reserves, doing it according to his own expectations.

The Founder... Mr. Clemente da Silva

In 1957 the Company´s registration has been changed for: C. da Silva (Vinhos) S.A.

The Company has been family owned till 1980, after Mr. Clemente da Silva´s death, the family has decided to sell the Company, that has been bought by the spanish group Nueva Rumasa.

In 2007 it has been bought again by Gran Cruz Porto (1st worldwide), making part of La Martiniquaise (2nd Spiritis Group in France).

Since the very beginning that the main goal of this visionary man was the uniqueness of the Port and filling the niche of the Port wine sector.
Our most prestigious Ports on that time: DALVA Rare Old Vintage 1896; DALVA Vintage 1917;

Currently, our most prestigious Ports: DALVA Vintage 1970; DALVA Golden White 1952 and DALVA Golden White 1963.
Nowadays it as the most beautiful headquarters of the Port wine trade, a 18th century mansion surrounded by 10,000 square meters of warehouses, that has been owned by the family, it as been renewed, but mantaining the same façades and the historical tiles, the spring... the 18th century brazilian style.



C. da Silva´s headquarters, a Mansion dated from the 18th century


Currently C. da Silva is internationaly recognized for the quality of its Ports, namely a wide range of White Ports and Colheita "Single Harvest Tawny), showing all the respect of a dedicated staff and a passionated Managenement.

2900 seasoned french oak pipes (250 ltrs to 750 ltrs)

Gonçalo Devesas

C. da Silva´s Port & Wine shop... a dream come true.

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Friday, November 04, 2011 / / 0 comments

The first days of a mandatory place...C. da Silva Port & Wine shop, testing everything, filling the shelves... it was the 2010 summer countdown.

The beginning...

Nowadays...nothing could ever be more rewarding than seeing delighted people coming back this 2011 summer for more C. da Silva experiences.

C. da Silva Port wine shop is located in the heart of the historical area of Vila Nova de Gaia, in the main avenue along the Douro river.

A stylish concept

C. da Silva Port wine shop is a stylish and comfortable space with an elegant décor and relaxed atmosphere, ideal for wine tastings

We offer you an exceptional range of Ports to taste. All the wines are available to take home, or otherwise , we can deliver it for you!

Interested in knowing more about Port ?

One of the many C. da Silva experiences

Visit us, we´re waiting for you! Parking facilities nearby.

Gonçalo Devesas

The native grape varietals

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Thursday, October 20, 2011 / / 0 comments

There is a wide range of grape varietals in the Demarcated Douro region, in the north of Portugal.
These grape varietals have adapted to different climate conditions, and micro-climates... the terroir ability to offer optimal conditions to wines.

The native varietals have been grafted with different types of rootstocks since that philoxera (pest that destroyed most of the vineyards all over Europe) reached to Portugal in 1865.
This process has been done according to their compatibility with different types of roots and the characteristics of the soil in which the vines were planted.

The cultivation of the different types of vines is regulated by a Decret-Law, that lists all the authorized varietals, the  recommended ones and percentages.

Nowadays, winemakers and oenologues have opted for about fifteen white grape varietals (for example: Malvasia Fina, Viosinho, Donzelinho, Rabigato, Côdega, Gouveio...) and about fourteen of red grapes varitals (for example: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Barroca...)

The maximum authorized yield is 5500 litres/ha - 7500kg/ha, but anually the average per hectare is aproximately 3000 litres/ha - 4100kg/ha.

Gonçalo Devesas

Douro Wine region... World Heritage !

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Saturday, October 15, 2011 / / 0 comments

The Alto Douro Wine Region, has been inscribed as World Heritage in December 2001, one of the three pre marked areas of the Douro region that represents 110.000hect of the vast Demarcated Douro Region (250.000hect).
In 1756 the “Marques de Pombal” restricted the Douro Valley region with 335 milestones, distributed along 250.000 hec. ,making it the oldest defined and protected wine region in the world.

A living landscape where generations of men have been working for years and years, blasting the shale, revolving the land, planting the vines, creating the terraces that surround us through hills ... a feat rewarded with a “honorable mention” for the first demarcated region in the world with three pre marked areas.

Row upon row of walls; paths; vineyards... all the pieces of a perfect puzzle

 A unique landscape, with a lot to discover, such as the Estates, the stairways to heaven (slopes), the terraces, the paths, the vineyards, the olive groves, wathercourses, quays and railways.
An amazing scenarium when seen from the top of a slope, where the incredible designed rows of walls is the most important highlight of the landscape, as it makes us reflect upon the meaning of the hard work that went into their construction.

Therefore our Port wine is the pure reflection of the Douro in the diversity of native varietals and a unique terroir.

Gonçalo Devesas

Vintage declarations

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Wednesday, October 12, 2011 / / 0 comments

The most prestigious category, representing about 2% of the annual production of each Shipper.
The grapes must be picked from vines graded with A and B quality, and should be bottled between July 1 of the second year and June 30 of the third year posterior to the harvest.

After fermentation the Port wines are selected and then kept to age in huge oak vats, samples are then sent to the IVDP - (Port Wine Institute) for tastings and thousands of chemical analysis made annualy.

If the Port wine Company received approval that the wine will be certified as a Vintage, others Cellars/brands will be consulted and the market conditions studied in order to declare the previous year as a traditional Vintage, being classified as a fabulous year for most of the shippers.

Still the Vintage will be quite different from a House to another, because of the micro climate, the House style and vinification process...

It is with the Vintage that Port Houses are still using the granite tanks (5,000ltrs to 8,000ltrs)  for the foot trodden, where the men, usualy vineyard workers that will be doing the treading sessions for about three hours during the night.

Gonçalo Devesas

After the harvest...till being served in your glass.

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Wednesday, September 21, 2011 / / 0 comments

Usually the young Port wines are kept in Quinta dos Avidagos, our vinification center (located in Alvações do Corgo, close to Régua - the Douro valley) for their first winter before being brought down the Douro river, where the lower temperatures and higher humidity is better for the Port´s maturation.

In our Cellars with 10,000 square meters, the Port matures in very old seasoned oak casks called pipas (pipes).
During this amazing aging process it will be tasted regularly by our winemakers or oenologues, to assess its quality.

Our Ports will gradually mellow in an oxidative process "angels share", with this process (Tawny Port) we are losing about 2% to 3% of Port annualy, achieving a nutty and amber hue and an incredible taste based in dry fruits shell, toffee, cigar box, coffee, stewed figs, bitter chocolate hints... softness and an elegant delayed after taste.

Since 1862 that C. da Silva, a traditional Port wine House, has been driven by the ambition of presenting the higher quality, namely for the "Colheita" and Aged Tawnies.

Devotion and passion a full time commitment

The Aged Tawny matures in oak for long and variable periods of time, in which the age indicated on the label corresponds to the approximate average of several Colheita Port wines in the blend.
Highlighting its long aging in seasoned oak, the Tawny with thirty or over fourty years old will present a golden color with greenish tints, evolving, reaching a bouquet which brings out the very complex aroma.

Depending on the desire to preserve Port´s longevity in the bottle, or for immediate consumption, it is very important to know the temperature range, bottling date and recommended storage period after opening.

Above all, you should not feel shy and do it relaxed when it comes the time to enjoy the extraordinary range of DALVA´s Port wines.

Gonçalo Devesas

C. da Silva / DALVA´s Golden path

Posted by C.daSILVA / at Friday, September 16, 2011 / / 0 comments

The uniqueness of the Golden Whites has started long time ago with the Imperial White Port - Special Reserve Vintage 1917.


The last oak cask of a myth - DALVA Golden White 1952


C. da Silva has carried the seal of long time supplier to the Royal House, therefore the reason of the word "Imperial" in the label of the very old Ports that emerged in the first two decades of the twentieth century.

Ageing White Port wines from a single harvest in small french oak casks has been since the very beginning our devoted quest for a distinctive Port.

It was the reputation of this wines, DALVA Golden White 1952 and recently the DALVA Golden White 1963, that made C. da Silva an internationaly recognized Port Company, wich has earned several and prestigious prizes.

The first DALVA White Colheita harvested in 1917

Blended and single harvest Port wines ageing permanently in 2900 seasoned french oak casks, with about 250 to 730 liters, till their bottling date.

Currently the Golden White path is a very serious and long commitment for the dedicated staff and the passionated management, recognized worldwide since 2005, with more surprises to come when we just reached less than 400 liters of the liquid gold.

DALVA Golden White 1952

No no... you may take a deep breath, the DALVA Golden White 1952 will not be bottled in a flask.

Since the very beginning the main goal of this traditional Port wine Company was, is and will be, to conquer a market of authentic and unique Port.

Gonçalo Devesas