Page 27 - IWSCReport2017

PORTUGUESE WINE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR TROPHY:
COOPERATIVA AGRÍCOLA DE ST. ISIDRO DE
PÉGOES C.R.L.
Based in the southern Portuguese region of Setúbal (near the city of the same name), the Cooperativa de Pegões owes its creation to the philanthropy of the great beer magnate José Rovisco Pais.When Pais died in 1932 he left large estates to the Lisbon State Hospitals, including land around Pegões.
The cooperative was established in March 1958 to help offer technical and logistic support to the growing number of grape growers who were among the farmers the government had given the land to. The Cooperative survived the economic turbulence and instability that followed the revolution of 1974, and today the winery boasts 1,117 hectares of vineyard and an average production of 12 million bottles a year.
With quality and value always at the forefront of the winery’s plans, millions have been spent on modernisation and new technology – €15 million (£13.52m) in the last 15 years – from fermentation vats to vacuum presses, filling, packaging and labelling lines and thousands of casks for ageing.
The winery’s production is weighted towards red wines, which make up 70% of its output, with the rest being white although some specialities are made too, such as a sweet Muscat, sparkling wines and eau-de-vie.
The grape varieties are a mix of native Portuguese and international. For the reds they include Castelão, Touriga Nacional, Aragonês and Cabernet Sauvignon, while for the whites there are Fernâo Pires, Muscat, Tamarez, Arinto, Verdelho and Chardonnay.
FORTIFIED WINE PRODUCER OF THE YEAR TROPHY:
HARVEYS SHERRY (BODEGAS FUNDADOR)
Harveys was founded in Bristol’s historic Denmark Street in 1796 by merchant William Perry, and went on to became one of the largest importers of Sherry from the Bay of Cadiz to the port of Bristol during the 19th century.
At the time Sherry was imported into Britain in oak casks by ship, then blended in Bristol, where Perry used his medieval cellars to store the wines. In 1846 Perry’s three eldest sons, John, Edward and Charles, joined the business and set about perfecting a new blend of Sherry named Bristol Milk, a rich dark Sherry later known as Harveys Bristol Cream. First created in 1882 by John Harvey II and his brother Edward, it was the result of a meticulous selection of more than 30 blends of fino, oloroso, amontillado and Pedro Ximénez Sherries. The fortified wine is aged in American oak casks using the traditional system of soleras and criaderas
In 1895 Harveys received the royal warrant. The company owns vineyards in the three key points of ‘the Sherry triangle’: Jerez, Sanlucar de Barrameda to the west and El Puerto de Santa Maria to the south.
Manuel José Valcarcel has been Harveys’ master blender for over 20 years. Today, he makes a number of different expressions, from the famous Bristol Cream with its distinctive electric-blue label, to a refreshing fino, Harveys Medium Dry,
a rare cream Sherry called ‘Signature’, an
oloroso and three VORS certified Sherries – an
amontillado, palo cortado and Pedro Ximénez.
In 2012, Harveys’ historic cellars in Bristol reopened as a Sherry and tapas bar.
Fortified Wine Producer shortlist
Blandys
Justino’s Madeira Wines S.A. Harveys Sherry (Bodegas Fundador) Sogevinus Fine Wines
Symington Family Estates
Emilio Lustau SA
All Saints Estate Winery
Morris (Casella Wines)
Portuguese Wine Producer shortlist
 Casa Ermelinda Freitas-Vinhos Lda
 Cooperativa Agrícola de St. Isidro de Pégoes C.R.L  Rozès SA
 Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal
26 winners’ guide 2017