Cortes de Cima, the Jorgensons' triumph
- Written by Christopher Metcalfe
Portugal is an old world wine country. The nectar that is wine, has been produced here for over 4,000 years. The abundant sunshine in Portugal is not just good for lazy days at the beach as the climate, soils and sunshine make Portugal the perfect terroir for growing grapes for wine.
There are over 250 native grape varieties in Portugal, making it the most diverse and, in my opinion, most interesting wine producing country in the world.
I would like to introduce you to a winery in the Alentejo. Cortes de Cima is located in the south of this large region, near the town of Vidigueira. It was set up by Hans and Carrie Jorgenson. Hans used to be a mechanical engineer and worked most for many years with a Danish company in Malaysia. Carrie is a native of California and met Hans while in Malaysia where she was working. After looking at California and Bordeaux, they decided on Portugal for its climate and people.
In 1991 the first grapes were planted, mainly Aragonez (or known as ‘Tempranillo’ across the border in Spain), Trincadeira, some Cabernet Sauvignon and Castelão. They first sold their fruit to a local cooperative, then, in 1996 they bottled their first wines for the company. Thanks to the great Mediterranean Clay and Limestone soil they have at the vineyard, they are now producing some of the best wine from the region. Over time they have added Touriga Nacional, Petit Verdot and Syrah grapes, as well as white grape varieties such as Antão Vaz, Verdelho, Semillon and Viognier.
In 1998 they bottled the first ‘illegal’ 100% Syrah in Portugal. Although the Syrah grape thrives in the climate of the Alentejo, the controlling body for wine in the region – the DOC or Denominação de Origem – did not recognise the grape for producing red wines. Therefore they could not label the wine as a Syrah. The wine went on to win medals for its quality in London and Brussels wine shows, so they knew they were onto something good. Now, thanks to them and other wineries in the region, great quality Syrah is now produced, alongside the native varieties, as another great Alentejo product.
Today they continue to push the boundaries with their wine making and produce 13 different wines, including two 100% Syrahs. Their top Syrah is named; Incognito, a nice link to their first Syrah which had to be labelled under an assumed name. Their most popular wine is their Chaminé Tinto. It is a very good value red wine, which is easy to drink with or without a meal. Their latest wine is a 100% Petit Verdot; this year was the first year and they released a very small amount. It was a bit of an experiment, but the results were excellent and I have been lucky enough to try this wine on a few occasions and I hope they produce it in greater volumes in years to come. The Petit Verdot grape thrives in the hot dry conditions of the Alentejo, so I am sure they will be successful with it.
Portuguese wineries today are producing good quality. I suggest you try one or two for yourself and see which you like best. To make it easy for you Cortes de Cima sell their wine online at cortesdecima.com.
You can also visit this winery with my company - Wine a Day. If you are interested in this and many other wineries, you can visit us at wine-a-day.com and we can arrange a great day trip for you.
