Cortes de Cima Family Vineyards
- Written by Anna Guerrier
Hans Kristian Jorgensen of Denmark and his Californian wife Carrie bought Cortes de Cima, a sweeping 365 hectare estate near Vidigueria, in 1988. This Herdade is in the Alentejo’s southernmost demarcated wine region, a winegrowing area since Roman times, but the Jorgensens have developed some of the best ‘new world’ techniques to complement the traditional flavours that come from grapes ripened in the strong Portuguese sunshine.
Hans and Carrie set off to find their vineyard in the mid eighties, leaving Malaysia (where Hans had been chief technical engineer for a tropical plantation company) after many years. ‘We looked in California and all sorts of other places first’ said Carrie, ‘before deciding that we wanted to return to Europe.’ And so, in due course, they sailed from the UK to Portugal and finally arrived at Cortes de Cima.
At the time it was a working farm, with not a grape in sight – but no matter; Hans knew that this was the place to fulfil their dream of becoming winemakers. ‘I used to be a big Bordeaux fan,’ he says, ‘but I forgot about that when I saw this for the first time’; gesturing to the magnificent vineyard that spreads into the distance. Here the majority of the grapes grown are Aragonez (Tempranillo), with some Trincadeira, Syrah, and Touriga Nacional vines. More recently some white wine vines have been added: Verdelho and Viognier.
1996 was their first vintage, but by this time Hans and Carrie had broken just about every rule in the book. Firstly they opted for red wine grapes rather than the white varieties recommended for the area. Then they decided on a controversial raised canopy trellis system, which increases the sunlight exposure on the grapes leading to greater concentration of colour, aroma and flavour in the wines. Hans claims that ‘wine is made in the vineyard, not in the winery’ and this system is one of the many ways he achieves his objectives. And, if that wasn’t enough, there was the contentious Syrah grape which was not approved for making ‘Vinho Regional Alentejano’. So, a clandestine trip across borders was made and the vines were smuggled back from France. Finding a name for the wine when it was ready for bottling in 1998 provided an interesting challenge. Incognito was the final choice and it continues to be one of the signature and award winning wines of the vineyard.
Cortes de Cima today has a range of fine wines: Courela is the well known table wine, followed by the hugely popular Chaminé Red and Chaminé white. After this the famous single varietals of Aragonez, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional and Syrah impress the palette, culminating with the incomparable Incognito which is 100% Syrah. The flagship wines: Cortes de Cima and Cortes de Cima Reserva are blends of the highest quality incorporating a full bodied blend of Aragonez, Syrah and other Portuguese varieties.
In 2005 a limited edition wine was made in homage to Hans Christian Anderson as the Danish government instigated a worldwide initiative to celebrate 200 years since the date of his birth. Carrie and Hans were involved in a variety of events both in Portugal and Denmark with their wine as a major player in the festivities. Three times Cortes de Cima have released a 100%Syrah wine under this label, the latest being 2007.
The olive trees found on the Herdade are not to be ignored. Inevitably they pressed into service and the sumptuous olives are turned into deep greenish yellow oil with a delicious peppery tang. The secret behind their unique oil is that the olives are harvested early whilst still green, which makes it an even healthier oil with a higher percentage of Polyphenol and lower in free fatty acids
An awards and review section on their website www.cortesdecima.com is the only way to even begin to mention the worldwide acclaim that has greeted Cortes de Cima products. The wines and olive oil have won medals of all colours throughout Europe and America, far too many to mention here.
But what is it that goes so well with fine wines and olive oil? Yes, food and music both of which Carrie has instigated at the vineyard with the summer concerts and the annual Christmas lunch.
Carrie inaugurated the summer concert season some eight years ago and each year people flock to the vineyard on June evenings, to be enchanted by the strains of music floating on the breeze over the vineyard as the suns sets. During the interval a wine tasting of the full range of Cortes de Cima varietals and delicious nibbles prepared by Danish chef Bjarne Otto only serves to wet our appetite for the Gala Buffet Dinner that follows, what is always a charming & witty evening’s music, sung by the excellent Mezzo-Soprano Ulla Kudsk Jensen, Thomas Praestegaard, Tenor and accompanied by Matts Knutsson.
The annual Danish Xmas Lunch is equally well attended year after year by many familiar faces. Yet again chef Bjarne Otto weaves his magic and the Cortes de Cima cellars are cracked open to adoring and appreciate fans.
Videgueira is within two hours drive of the Algarve or Lisbon attracting visitors from each and, everywhere else in between and beyond. Excellent country restaurants and places to stay make the vineyard an important part of an itinerary for those exploring the Alentejo or perhaps, more importantly, making the Cortes de Cima Family Vineyard their main reason for a pilgrimage into the depths of Portugal’s rural lands.
Alternatively you will find Cortes de Cima attending events in Lisbon, Beja, the Azores, Madeira, China, London, check their website to find out where and when you can taste their wines somewhere near you…
By Anna Guerrier
