Medieval de Ourém
In the XII century, the territory of the council is occupied by Christians, and in 1172, D.Afonso Henriques gives a special order to D. Gonçalo to build a Cistercian convent called Santa Maria dos Tomarães.
In the XIII Century, king D. Afonso II gives his ‘padroado’ (patronage) to Pedro Gonçalves, friar of Alcobaça, starting point to prosperity. This monastery would become this region main development hub, based in particular on wine production, as some published documents of this time mention.
Preserving these ancestrals wine making methods, the ‘Medieval de Ourém‘ wine, Abadia dos Tomarães, is a unique wine, fresh fruity and smooth.
With the economic globalization at the end of the twentieth century, the wine production has suffered from an uniformization and from the loss of its greatest richness, the diversity. All around the world, producers tend to make wine that taste like others, forgetting so many times its own characteristics.
Nevertheless, in the region of Ourem, some farmers still keep making wine according to the rules that their ancestors learned from the Cistercian Monks, in the XII century, fighting against the wine uniformization and the tendency of imitating the production patterns of other regions .
Aware of the risk of loosing an 800 years-old method, “Medieval de Ourem” wine designation has been created to aim to preserve the original method, teached by the Cistercian Monks to the people of Ourem, in the XII century. The “Medieval de Ourem” wine became therefore a region heritage that should be understood as a cultural drinking act, enphasizing what is really different, what is genuine and noble. The “Encostas d’Aire .. Medieval de Ourem” wine is regulamented by the order in council n° 167/2005 of February the 11th, and published in the journal of the Assembly of the Republic. The wines protected by this order in council must come from certified vineyards, the grape harvest must be handmade, the wine cellars have to be members and authorised and are subject to the controls employed by the certification authority.
Tasting
It has a deep rubi colour, almond flavours coming from Fernao Pires grapes, getting on very well with Trincadeira grapes flavours which brings notes of red fruits like strawberry and blackberry. In the mouth it is balanced, smooth in the taste, strong but at the same time buttery. While drinking we remember the typical wines of Ourem, genuines and pures. For those who have never tasted, or those who are used to drinking different wines, the “Medieval de Ourem” wine can taste like a lower quality wine, at the very beginning. But that’s not true! This wine is different and reveals a inimitable complexity while tasting with special attention.
Suggestion
Should be served cool, at 12°..15°C. Ideal as an appetizer, or even to go along with any kind of dishes, like fatty fishes and game meat, such as hare, rabbit or partdrige. It goes along also perfectly with Portuguese regional and traditional dishes, like “migas” with “chicharos”, anchovy, “migas” with cod, etc… that remind us its noble origin.
Storage
Keep the bottle lying down, far from light to ensure its characteristics. Due to the wine.-making method, this wine is subject to create deposit.
Characteristics
Harvest: 2010 Appellation: A.O.C. Region: Encostas d ‘Aire Sub-Region: Ourem
Type: Medieval de Ourem Producer and bottler:
Wine-grape variety: Fernao Pires (80%W) and Trincadeira (20%R) Climate: Temperate
Mediterranean Types of soil: Chalky soils, non-humic litholic soils and light alluvial soils.
Analytics parameters Alcohol (v/v): 14%
Volatil Acidity: 0,45 g/dm3
Total Acidity: 5,01 g/dm3 pH: 3,53
Total Sulphurous Acid: 56 mg/dm3
