Film: wine stories – the Douro Valley – the oldest new wine region in the world?

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Film: wine stories – the Douro Valley – the oldest new wine region in the world?

So, the film Dave Fuller and I made in the Douro is now live. We’re really pleased with it, but would love to hear some feedback. If you have 8 minutes to spare, please take a look:

 

This film is the result of a collaboration between film maker David Fuller (www.storyflex.tv) and wine writer Jamie Goode (www.wineanorak.com).

The world of wine is full of great stories. Together, they want to tell some of these stories through a series of short films, each with a strong narrative theme.

The Douro Valley in northern Portugal is the subject of the first of these films. Until 20 years ago, the Douro was all about Port, the famous fortified wine. The table wines from these spectacular vineyards were an afterthought: as one noted Douro winegrower states, the Douro is a region with a 2000 year history of making bad wine.
But of late, a revolution has occurred. A table wine revolution. A band of committed winegrowers have begun making great wines from the Douro, achieving international acclaim over a short space of time. In effect, it is the oldest new wine region in the world.

There are challenges, though—the steep slopes have to be terraced, and must be worked by hand, which is expensive. This is not a region for cheap wines. And still too many of the new wines bear the heavy hand of the winemaker, and technological solutions in the winery.

The Douro table wine revolution is a remarkable story.

Some stills from the filming:

7 Comments on Film: wine stories – the Douro Valley – the oldest new wine region in the world?Tagged , ,
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7 thoughts on “Film: wine stories – the Douro Valley – the oldest new wine region in the world?

  1. Great educational film about the Douro with some stunning shots of the terraces. Nice to see someone focussing on the fine wines rather than the Ports that we are all familiar with. Looking forward to future installments from other areas.

  2. Great little film. And I like the title of the blog which goes straight to the point. These are the newest and most exciting wines in the wine world, and it is incredible they come from one of the oldest defined appellations. One wonders why market conditions have not encouraged table wine production until so relatively recently.

  3. Thanks for posting this documentary on Douro wines. I have only recently discovered Portuguese red wines and know little about the subject. I did not realise that there were so many varieties of grape grown in the Douro. This summer I tried the Quinta Vale di Maria (2003) and was very impressed. So it was a pleasure to see the man behind it (van Zeller) and where the wine is produced. It is great to see such wines and the people behind them get the recognition they deserve.

  4. Looks great Jamie, and intelligent choice of subject for debut – visually stunning, quirky region. I was worried we’d get too many shots of the back of your head but these seemed to reduce as the film went on. Well done.

  5. An excellent video easy to follow informative and fascinating. I first started drinking Portuguese wine about 4 years ago. I have found generally that Douro is more consistent than other regions such as Dao though I’ve a good bottle or two from the Vinho Verde.

    I have to agree with Mr.Niepoort that Douro and Portugal overall has to be careful that they don’t get caught up making ‘international’ wine without true Portuguese character. Only through understanding their grapes and terroir can Portuguese wine makers win the heart and wallets on wine lovers around the world.

    And I am fine with Portuguese wine not having Syrah or Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot, frankly there are too many of these all tasting largely the same. So let’s have some distinction and originality not everyone trying to copy what they do on the Right or Left Bank.

    Cheers!

    Solomon Mengeu

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