January 27 will be “Port Day.” The inaugural event encourages the celebration of this truly unique wine that only comes from Portugal. Consumers from around the world are encouraged to participate in the celebration of this authentic wine and raise awareness about the need to protect the Port name.

Join in #PortDay at Croft’s wine lodges where we will have a special raffle – you can win a very interesting and useful book.

And you? What are you doing for #PortDay?

http://www.wineorigins.com  

You better not pout, we are telling you why

Santa Claus is coming to Croft!

Santa has arrived and, this year he brought his reindeer who magically pull his sleigh through the sky!

Embrace the spirit of the season with a visit to our wine lodges where you can taste delicious Ports – the perfect wine for the Holiday Season.

December – Hours of operation: seven days a week from 10am to 6pm.

Except:

23/12/2011 – from 10am to 12pm

24/12/2011 – from 10am to 4pm

31/12/2011 – from 10am to 4pm

Closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day

For most it was a surprise, but everyone commented on the quality of the product.

Unfortunately the Portuguese cheeses have not yet achieved the recognition they deserve, but we are sure that the lucky ones who had the opportunity to visit Croft will not forget the unique flavors of “Beira Baixa” cheeses and (of course) our Ports.

We really appreciate the efforts of Mr. António Feliciano, a tireless ambassador of Portuguese cheeses! http://www.saboresidanha.com/

And yes, we are already preparing the second edition of “Cheese day” – so, stay tuned and say cheese!

Next Friday from 2pm to 6pm you will have the opportunity to taste delicious cheeses from the DOP “Beira Baixa” region, a protected designation of origin.  Do not miss a unique opportunity to learn all about Portuguese cheeses with Mr. António Feliciano a cheese expert. But most of all you won’t want to miss the occasion to pair wonderful cheeses with amazing Ports from Croft!

So, if you are cheese and a Port lover save the date and mark your calendar.

(Offer not valid in conjunction with any other discount or promotion)

Join us for a tour of the wine lodges followed by a tasting of  Croft 2009 Vintage (€6) made up entirely of wines from Quinta da Roêda. All the wine was made in traditional lagares and displays the distinctive scented quality and rich round fruitiness which are the hallmarks of the estate’s wines.

At the end you can take advantage of the special declaration offer price of €59,95*

*offer valid until Dec 15th 2011

Press comments:

Luís Antunes, Revista de Vinhos, Julho 2011 – “Fruta azul muito pura, folhas frescas, lagar, flores silvestres, muito complexo, definido, fresco e sedutor. Vivo na boca, com taninos firmes, tudo polido e envolvente, textura seca, focada. Muito longo.” Pontos 17,5

 Rui Falcão, Revista Wine, Julho 2011 – “Cor negra muito escura. O nariz surge muito anisado, hesitando entre um ataque decididamente floral e o fundo de copo muito mais especiado, com sugestões almiscaradas pouco comuns em Vintage tão jovens. Suave e aveludado, muito mais ameno que o esperado, onde os taninos comparecem bem embrulhados na seda da fruta.” Pontos 17

Neal Martin, www.erobertparker.com, May 2011 – “The Croft 2009 reaffirms my opinion that this is really a house on the up, putting the pre-Taylor years when quality had declined firmly behind them and returning to the former glories of the 1920′s and 1930′s. Given its price, Croft comes highly recommended.  The 2009 Croft has a very pure pretty bouquet with ripe blueberry and dark plum-scented bouquet. Fine definition although not quite as complex as I remember the 2007 at the same stage. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe, supple tannins, moderate acidity, harmonious with a plush blackberry, crème de cassis and spice-tinged finish. Good potential, although I think the 2007 has an intellectual edge. Tasted May 2011.” Score 93

Jamie Goode, Wineanorak.com, May 2011 – “Sweet, generous blackberry and cherry fruit dominates the nose. Rich, bold palate with some fruit concentration and nice structure. Freshness and ripeness here: a lovely Port.” Score 92–94/100

Jancis Robinson, Purple Pages, May 2011 – “Blackish crimson. Mellow, well-behaved nose. Very soft, ripe and sweet. Quite different from the Fonseca and Taylor in terms of build – less concentrated. Then the tannin and, especially, acidity rise up and take you unawares at the end of the palate. Just very slightly scrawny on the finish with a tiny hint of greenness. I’d lash out on one of the more serious ports from this stable.” Score 17. Drink 2020-40

Will Lyons, The Wall Street Journal, May 2011 – “Dark black/purple, on the nose it is unmistakably softer and more open than the previous two with just a hint of spice. On the palate the tannins are vividly present and there is a long, dry finish.”

Richard Mayson, richardmayson.com, May 2011 – “Again, very good colour; lovely plummy aromas, minty, quite showy for a young VP; very sweet, still a bit raw with some firm tannic grip rising onto the finish, soft and flattering, very much in the new Croft style. A lovely wine for the medium term.” Score 17

Just take a look of some really lovely drawings from our visitors’ book. Congratulations to our talented visitors!

We would like to express our appreciation for everyone who found their way to Croft. We had visitors from all over the world:  New Zealand, Colombia, South Africa, China, Argentina, Israel, Russia, and Japan, just to name a few.

Lakewood Vineyards (USA) tasting some of our Ports

Undoubtedly that Porto and Vila Nova de Gaia attracted many visitors and many media attention. Emma Ventura (Jamie Oliver Magazine) wrote a lovely article saying that “Here’s just one problem with the Portuenses: they won’t let you leave … Try telling the cabbie who overshot your destination that you’re quite capable of walking back 10 yards to the restaurant and he’ll switch off the meter and drive round the block to deposit you right at the doorstep “ – we couldn’t agree more with Emma!

At the wine lodges it was wonderful to have the opportunity to share our knowledge about Port wine. And we are delighted to announce another record-breaking month (August) for Croft visitors’ centre with highest number of visitors ever! But more than numbers what matters is that our team strove to offer a unique experience and hopefully, now, we have scattered around the world hundreds of new Port wine Ambassadors!  

Our team promotes great atmosphere. A great Pink moment!

This is the time of the year when PINK ON THE ROCKS is just the best way to connect with friends.  So, if you are planning to visit Croft’s wine lodges in Gaia, take a look at our Summer promotion.

Croft’s tourism team would like to wish you all a fantastic summer holiday!