Did you know that all grapes start off green? When do they start to change in color, both red and white grapes? During veraison (or pintor in Portuguese) - the beginning of the grape’s maturation.
The life cycle of the grapevine, after winter dormancy, starts with bud break > flowering > fruit set > veraison, when the acid levels reduce and sugar levels increase, and the grapes transform from hard, inedible, green berries to soft, plump and sweet berries, and turn shades of yellow, red and purple as they ripen. Lasting from 1 to 2 weeks at Tedo in July, veraison is a fascinating and exciting process to witness.
Owner Vincent Bouchard believes veraison, adopted from véraison in French, comes from the verb virer (to turn) from the color green, and/or perhaps a combination of vert- (green) and -raisin (grape). My quick background research hints that the term véraison was coined in the mid-1800s in the French regions of Midi (near the Pyrenees) or Cote d’Or (in Burgundy, Vincent’s birthplace).
Do you have a more compelling etymological reason for the term véraison? If so, please do share.
Harvest 2024 is coming up!
What we thought was going to be a late August start, came surprisingly early with 500 kg from our new 2022 planting of Bastardo ready to pick this Friday. Our intention is to hone a lighter-style red wine from this delicate early-ripening variety, also known as Trousseau and native to France’s Jura region, but cultivated in Douro for 200+ years to contribute acidity and freshness to the Port blend. We knew we would have to pick early, but not this early… Bastardo has its name for a reason. Stay tuned for what comes of our first Bastardo micro-vinification, spearheaded by Odile Bouchard!
The bulk of our grape harvest will follow in a few weeks, as will our annual owner-led harvest offers. I, Kay Bouchard, am the proud leader of our Harvest Experience, scheduled on September 4th, and look forward to sharing a slice of our Tedo life with a small eager group of familiar and new, interested and interesting participants from different countries, united together in Port production for a day!
The day kicks off with an introduction to Quinta do Tedo and our harvest flow. Protected by sunscreen and hats (which you bring!) and Tedo t-shirts (our offer!) we walk through our vineyards to a traditional morning harvest snack prepared by our Staff Cook under shaded trees before hand-harvesting grapes with our Vineyard Team. Afterwards, a tour of our aging cellars and tasting ends with family-style lunch together at a long table overlooking Douro River on our private Bouchard Family terrace. Enjoy a break, or help us sort the grapes as they come in from the vineyards and are destemmed and pumped into our traditional lagares where we’ll foot tread them - the grand finale! - with traditional music in the background and a glass of Vintage Port in hand.
Later in the month, on September 12th, Vincent Bouchard and I will join forces to host our other annual harvest offer, Winemaker for a Day. The day kicks off similarly, but instead of grape harvesting, our participants learn to identify grape varieties by their leaves and clusters with Vineyard Manager Angelo Ribeiro, while discussing practices and challenges that come with winemaking and viticulture in Douro Valley, subject to today’s changing climate.
After lunch, Vincent will host a crash course on the art of Tawny Port blending in our 55-meter-deep barrel adorned with our brilliant new art installation made from 75-year-old vines. We’ll draw samples from the barrels, blend our own Tawny Ports and draw our own labels for the half-bottle we’ll each take home. The grand finale on this day will culminate in a spitting contest!
Find out more here and contact me via info@quintadotedo.com to sign yourself and your friends up for one or both harvest offers (I suggest you do so quickly, they book up fast!)
We hope to see you soon and wish all our fellow wine producers fruitful 2024 harvests!
Bom proveito ~ Kay & Odile Bouchard