Bovey wines have recently launched their new website which also shows information such as their retail outlets and up and coming events. Visit www.boveywines.co.uk to find out more

Pegoes has done extremely well in the recent 2010 wine awards. In total they won 2 gold’s, 4 silvers, 10 bronzes & 9 commended medals. Their best performance was in the IWSC where their Adega de Pegoes Touriga Nacional 2008 won a Gold Best in Class. They also won 4 Silver Best in Class medals in this competition.

Their Stella Blanco dry Muscat was nominated in the Gold list at the Sommelier Wine Awards.

Other news is that Pegoes are now set up to bottle under screw cap on the taller Bordeaux style bottles and they will start with screw cap on the Stella range from next month. Stella Blanco and Stella Rosado will be available with screw cap in June with Stella Rosso changing to screw cap on our next shipment.

Portuguese wine company Falua Sociedade de Vinhos has unveiled a new and innovative image for Tagus Creek. The new packaging has been re-designed to give a more contemporary feel with greater focus on the grape varieties in the blend and clearer information on the back label.

Information in Braille has been added for the first time to widen consumer appeal and QR codes have also been added to enable consumers with the latest mobile phones to access instant detailed information about the wines.

So how does the QR technology work?

Hold your phone up to the QR code and the camera will automatically scan it and take you straight to the url page of technical information.

Chalié Richards has launched the first ever sparkling wine from Sir Cliff Richard’s Adega do Cantor winery in the Algarve, Portugal which has been released to celebrate Sir Cliff’s 70th birthday later this year. The wine is part of the Vida Nova range and is made from 100 per cent Syrah grapes picked in 2008.

Winemaker, Max Birch, commented: “We were keen to extend the Vida Nova range to include a sparkling wine and decided to make the first vintage to mark Sir Cliff’s 50 years in music and to celebrate his 70th birthday. We are delighted with the first bottling and have already received a number of pre orders from ardent Cliff fans!”

A limited volume of the Vida Nova Espumante Rosé will be released in May and will be available in the UK through importer, Chalié Richards.

Pink Elephant Rose has supported the Elephant Family Charity for many years now and donates proceeds from every bottle sold. They are currently raising much needed funds and awareness of the plight of the Asian Elephant by way of the Elephant Parade in London.

There are currently over 250 painted Elephants on the streets of London and we have sponsored a Pink one which is in Covent Garden Piazza, above is a picture of the 10 International Pink Elephant with winemaker Jose Neiva.

For more information on the parade in general click here

Fields, Morris & Verdin is delighted to announce the arrival of the latest addition to the Tonnix range, a Douro Rosé from Quinta de la Rosa. Tonnix is a joint venture between renowned Chef/Restaurateurs Mitch Tonks and Mark Hix. The first wine, a 2007 Douro Branco, was produced by Quinta de la Rosa in Portugal’s Douro Valley and was launched in late 2009. The second wine also from Quinta de la Rosa and a 2009 vintage has been chosen for its suitability with fish dishes.

Both Tonnix wines are available at Mark Hix’s eponymous Brewer Street restaurant, in his restaurant in Selfridges and at the Oyster & Chop House in Smithfield and the Oyster & Fish House in Lyme Regis. They are also available at Mitch’s two restaurants, The Seahorse in Dartmouth and the Rockfish Grill in Bristol, and will be available in his shortly to be opened deli and café in Dartmouth.

The label has been designed by Tracey Emin and Mark & Mitch have also agreed to donate £0.50 from every bottle sold to the RNLI.

Click here for more info…

Guess the grape variety and the first 10 correct answers will win a ViniPortugal Corkscrew

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ / _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal’s finest.

Despite the low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the Douro and Dão. It provides structure and body to wine, with high tannins and concentrated flavours of black fruit.

Click here to email your answers

The Douro is the world’s first wine region and is the world’s biggest mountain vineyard. The schist soils and old, mixed vineyards make forward powerfully structured blends with rich, wild fruit and a mineral core.

Key varieties include Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Amarela.

We interviewed Tiago Alves de Sousa from Alves de Sousa Winery in the Douro…

Which is your favourite wine that you make in the Douro?

“Well… that’s almost like asking my parents which son or daughter they like most! The answer is the same – I have no favourites. What I like most about working in the Douro is the character, the personality, the diversity that each vineyard shows. What I try to do in the winery is to express the best that I can that multiplicity of characters. So, for me it’s almost impossible to pick a favourite. They’re just different! But, of course that there’s always some that, for some reason, you particularly empathise with. For me, from the wines I make, “Abandonado” (red D.O.C. Douro) is definitely very special.”

3 words to describe your favourite wine?

“Dramatic – as the vineyard where it comes from, and that named it – “Abandonado” means “Abandoned”, as this steep and rocky 80 year old vineyard located on the top of Quinta da Gaivosa with already many vines missing was indeed abandoned for some time.

Authentic – as it has a character on its own – it’s the vineyard talking, without “cosmetics” and no commitments.”

What international food would you match with it?

“Abandonado, in its youth (3-7 years old) needs something rich, with intense flavours. I would pair it with a rich meat, like a wild boar with a berries’ sauce for example, or a confit of pork belly. After some aging (10-15 years), it can be also a good companion for a good steak, like a fillet mignon.”

What do you do when you’re not making wine?

“When I’m not making wine I’m trying to sell it! Now, more seriously, although I love wine and what I do, I also have many other interests.

I love to travel and to discover new places and cultures. And, as the vineyards and the wines always require a lot of time and attention, when there’s some spare time there’s nothing better than just enjoying some moments with the family!“

Tiago’s wines are available from www.topselection.co.uk

To find other Douro wines log onto ViniPortugal’s ‘where to buy Portuguese wines website’ where you can search for a bottle of wine or retailer in your local area www.viniportugal.co.uk

You can now follow us on Facebook and Twitter with regular updates of what we have been up to, what events we are organising and our monthly competition winners. Simply become a fan of ‘We Love Portuguese Wines’ on Facebook, follow ‘vpwine’ on Twitter or visit www.viniportugal.co.uk/blog to find out more.

Throughout the summer ViniPortugal will be at numerous consumer shows all over the country, so make sure you visit our stand, bring a copy of this newsletter with you to claim your free goodie bag and enjoy a fantastic selection of Portuguese wines.

ViniPortugal’s next consumer show will be: Foodies at Hampton Court on 29th-31st May where you can meet Michelin star and top chefs; sample culinary delights from your favorite restaurants and sip wine and champagne from top bars and stands.

To buy tickets log onto www.foodiesfestival.com

The next consumer show ViniPortugal will be at is: The Three Countries Show on 18th-20th June.

For a full list of ViniPortugal consumer shows and dates log onto to www.viniportugal.co.uk/blog