THE INSIST OF NOBILITY

The best wine is achieved by choosing the right barrels at the right time.

Text by Outlook Channel Photos by VCG Translation by Sonia Special thanks to: Alentejo Tourism, Pestana Hotel Group

特別鳴謝： 阿連特茹旅游局, 佩斯塔納酒店集團

Portugal is the 4th largest winemaking country in the world. Among the many wine regions in Portugal, Alentejo, home to the explorer Vasco da Gama, is especially important in the wine world.

Alentejo is a vast region with a small population. The abundant sunlight all year-round and rare rain make it Portugal's Napa Valley. Grapes growing in these conditions enjoy long life cycles and high ripeness, which lead to the making of best wines.

We visited Lima Mayer & Companhia located in

the city of Monforte in the upper Alentejo. The winery owners, Thomaz and Maria José de Lima Mayer, are from local distinguished families. The noble heritage and culture contribute to the couple's constant drive for quality.

In Portugal, 80% of the wineries have adopted machinery for grape picking. In Lima Mayer, the grapes have always been handpicked. The cost is very high, but the quality of grapes for winemaking is intact.

After approximately two weeks of primary fermentation, the grape juice will be filled in the traditional French oak barrels for further fermentation and aging. Lima Mayer only uses brand new oak barrels imported from France. Unlike the American oak barrels that quicken the aging process, the French oak barrels make the aging process very slow. In general, only trees of eight years and above can be used to make superior French oak barrels. To ensure the quality of wine, Lima Mayer chooses barrels that cost over EUR 2,000 per piece. And these expensive barrels are to be used only once in Lima Mayer.

The perseverance for quality runs in the blood of the Lima Mayer family. It is also the secret to Portugal's making of excellent wines.

New Findings 新發(fā)現

1.Lusitano Horse盧西塔諾馬

Monforte has the world's best Lusitano horses. This Lusitano horse performing dressage in Thomaz's nephew Diogo de Lima Mayer's ranch worth €2 million.

2.The Chapel of Bones人骨禮拜堂

évora is listed as one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. However, what makes the city well-known is the Chapel of Bones. The walls, pillars, and dome are all created using human bones.

3.Wine-Indulgent Portuguese愛酒的葡萄牙人

Annual wine consumption per capita in Portugal is up to 50 liters, third only to France and Italy.

貴族的堅持

最頂級的葡萄酒，實際上從選擇橡木桶的時候就已經展現出不同了。

葡萄牙是當今世界第四大葡萄酒生產國，在這里的眾多葡萄酒產區(qū)中，航海家達伽馬的故鄉(xiāng)阿連特茹備受世人矚目。

阿連特茹地廣人稀，常年光照充足，降雨稀少，有著葡萄牙加州之稱。在這種環(huán)境下生長的葡萄，生長周期長，成熟度高，是釀制上等葡萄酒的絕佳選擇。

我們拜訪了阿連特茹北部城市蒙福蒂的利馬梅爾酒莊，酒莊主托馬斯和瑪麗婭出身于當地的名門望族，貴族的血統(tǒng)與文化賦予了二人對品質的堅持。

在今天的葡萄牙，80%的酒莊都已經采用機械化采摘，而利馬梅爾酒莊卻一直堅持人工采摘。這樣做的成本雖然很高，但是可以保證用來釀酒的葡萄質量。

經過兩周左右的初步發(fā)酵后，葡萄汁會被裝入傳統(tǒng)的法國橡木桶中繼續(xù)發(fā)酵并醇熟。利馬梅爾酒莊只使用全新的法國原裝進口橡木桶，它們不同于美國橡木桶，美國橡木桶的醇熟過程會更快一些，法國橡木桶則非常非常緩慢。一般來說樹齡在8年以上的才能夠用來制作頂級法國橡木桶。為了保證酒的品質，利馬梅爾酒莊選用的橡木桶都是2000多歐元一個的優(yōu)質橡木桶，而這些價值不菲的橡木桶，在利馬梅爾酒莊只被允許使用一次。

對品質的堅守與執(zhí)著，是流淌在利馬梅爾家族中的血液，也是葡萄牙釀制上好葡萄酒的秘密所在。