Source:
google images
Saturday, April 28, 2012
Upper Douro Wine Region - Unesco World Heritage
Alto Douro Wine Region
Registration Date
2001
Criteria
C iii: The Alto Douro Region has been producing wine for nearly two thousand years and its landscape has been moulded by human activities.
C iv: The components of the Alto Douro landscape are representative of the full range of activities associated with winemaking - terraces, quintas (wine-producing farm complexes), villages, chapels, and roads.
C v: The cultural landscape of the Alto Douro is an outstanding example of a traditional European wine-producing region, reflecting the evolution of this human activity over time.
C iv: The components of the Alto Douro landscape are representative of the full range of activities associated with winemaking - terraces, quintas (wine-producing farm complexes), villages, chapels, and roads.
C v: The cultural landscape of the Alto Douro is an outstanding example of a traditional European wine-producing region, reflecting the evolution of this human activity over time.
Justification
Report of the 25th Session of the Committee
Brief Description
The Alto Douro Wine Region represents the landscape that characterises the vast Demarcated Region of the Douro, the oldest viticultural legal region in the world. The cultural landscape of the Alto Douro combines the monumental Nature of the Douro River valley, which has steep slopes, poor and uneven soils, with the ancestral and continuous action of the Humankind, adjusting the space to the agricultural necessities of Mediterranean type that the region bears. This intimate relation between the human activity and the Nature allowed the creation of an ecosystem of unique value. It is taken an exemplary profit of the soil characteristics, with the shaping of the landscape in ledges, preserving them of the erosion and allowing the vineyard cultivation.
This region produces the world famous Port Wine, which represents the main stimulating vector of the local technology, culture, traditions and economy. With the great human investment in this landscape of singular beauty it became possible the settling of populations since the distant Roman occupation. From this long tradition of viticulture it also resulted the living and developing reality, at the same time a past testimony and a future cause, solidly protected in the optimisation of the natural resources and in the preservation of the ambiences.
Source:
www.igespar.pt
The Portuguese Jewellery Industry
| PORTOJÓIA - Guiding your business |
| In
2010, PORTOJÓIA – International Jewellery, Gold and Watch Exhibition is
scheduled to take place between the 22nd and 26th of September. After 20 years in the market, fostering business and marking trade relationships in the sector, PORTOJÓIA is still a guiding line for companies wishing to sell and for potential clients who visit the exhibition to discover the collections and trends in the sector and, in this way, develop purchasing potential. PORTOJÓIA provides a safe platform, a meeting point where the leading companies will be present. EXHIBITION OUTLOOKPORTOJÓIA 2012International Jewellery, Gold and Watch Exhibition Date26th to 29th September 2012 Opening HoursFrom 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Trade visitors only. Children under 14 are not allowed. On show• Gold work • Jewellery • Watches • Decorative silver • Packaging • Machinery • Security Systems • Software Exhibitor profile• Manufacturers • Importers • Representatives • Designers Visitor profile• Gold stores • Jewellery stores • Watch stores Venue and organizationEXPONOR - Porto International Fair Porto Portugal Source: www.portojoia.exponor.pt |
Friday, April 27, 2012
ESTALEIROS NAVAIS DE VIANA DO CASTELO (ENVC SHIPYARD)
ESTALEIROS NAVAIS DE VIANA DO CASTELO (ENVC
SHIPYARD) is a medium sized Shipyard in activity since 1944, located in
the town of Viana do Castelo, on the Atlantic Coast in the very north of
Portugal. Occupying an area of 400.000 sqm and employing 650 people, it is the major Portuguese Shipbuilder. Since the early years Viana shipyard has developed its own
design, so, at present, has a great capacity to design, build, convert and
repair different sophisticated and specialised ships. Up to the
present, the yard has delivered more than 200 vessels including barges,
tugboats, ferry boats, fishing vessels, general cargo and bulk carriers,
container ships, oil and chemical tankers, LPG's, cement carriers and war
vessels
Sources:
www.envc.pt
google images
Thursday, April 26, 2012
What gives Portuguese olive oil its unique pungency?
Desiree asks:
Each country has their own unique varieties of olive which contribute to regional olive oil flavors. Portugal has the Cobrancosa and Verdeal for example. But letting olives sit after harvest will cause the fruit to heat up, spoil and ferment. The resultant oil will have high acidity and taste defects such as "fusty, musty, moldy, rancid". The oil would not qualify as extra virgin under current International Olive Council testing.
Your reader Gary said he could not find a certain olive oil taste he had
found in Portugal. I am also a huge fan of Portuguese olive oil. During my
travels there, I was told that the Portuguese let the olives sit for 10 days
before pressing, which gives the oil its unique pungency and flavor. Is this
true?
Olive Oil News replies:
Each country has their own unique varieties of olive which contribute to regional olive oil flavors. Portugal has the Cobrancosa and Verdeal for example. But letting olives sit after harvest will cause the fruit to heat up, spoil and ferment. The resultant oil will have high acidity and taste defects such as "fusty, musty, moldy, rancid". The oil would not qualify as extra virgin under current International Olive Council testing.
In most of the world in the past 2000 years processing capacity did not keep
up with the harvest so olives sat and fermented. The traditional lever or screw
olive press with reed mats was difficult to keep clean and encouraged oxidation
and off tastes. Clay storage containers of the day were poorly sealed and oil
quickly went rancid if it was not already. Oil was not an expensive condiment
but a necessary source of calories so consumers were resigned to the taste and
came to expect and prefer this traditional taste of the oil. In some parts of
the world they still do. Mort Rosenblum in his book Olives, The Life and Lore
of a Noble Fruit has a great story about traveling to a tiny town in North
Africa where with great reverence he was offered a bottle of very musty rancid
oil which the locals treasured.
In the past 50 years there has been a big improvement in olive oil processing, storage and distribution. If a producer can process the olives quickly in enclosed centrifugal centrifuges, store the oil in modern containers such as stainless steel, and prevent exposure to light and heat during distribution, the oil will be of higher quality and the price much higher. No modern producer would deliberately let their olives sit for 10 days if there was any way to prevent it.
I am hoping that the flavor your prefer is that of the unique Portuguese varietals. The Portuguese do not have a powerful marketing lobby so sell most of their oil to consolidators in Italy or Spain where it is blended with other oil. If it is the musty olive taste you are after, that is fine, as they say, "it is a matter of taste" and some people will prefer a flavor that others label a defect. Of course there is not a big export market for defective oil so you are not likely to see it in mainstream markets.
Source:
www.oliveoilsource.com
In the past 50 years there has been a big improvement in olive oil processing, storage and distribution. If a producer can process the olives quickly in enclosed centrifugal centrifuges, store the oil in modern containers such as stainless steel, and prevent exposure to light and heat during distribution, the oil will be of higher quality and the price much higher. No modern producer would deliberately let their olives sit for 10 days if there was any way to prevent it.
I am hoping that the flavor your prefer is that of the unique Portuguese varietals. The Portuguese do not have a powerful marketing lobby so sell most of their oil to consolidators in Italy or Spain where it is blended with other oil. If it is the musty olive taste you are after, that is fine, as they say, "it is a matter of taste" and some people will prefer a flavor that others label a defect. Of course there is not a big export market for defective oil so you are not likely to see it in mainstream markets.
Source:
www.oliveoilsource.com
Portuguese Olive Oil
A Hidden Treasure – Portuguese Olive Oil
Additional information:
www.oliveoil.pt
I have, discovered in my time living here, that Portuguese olive oil, known as ‘azeite‘, is one of the most delicious there are.
Olive oil was extracted over 5,000 years B.C. from wild olives in modern Syria and
Palestine but only after the expansion of the Roman Empire did the olive oil reach a corresponding growth and consequently into the Mediterranean. There is evidence of olive trees in Portugal dating back to the Bronze Age but only in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries did Portugal’s production gain greater importance. Following the Portuguese discoveries, olive oil was exported on a bigger scale and in the mid-sixteenth century, the
consumption had grown intensely as the oil was used as fuel for lighting with the main markets being in northern Europe and India.
During the late 19th century, when a small louse called Phylloxera devastated all the vineyards throughout Europe, including Portugal, olive trees were planted in place of vines in the Douro valley in an attempt to bring in an income for those people who stayed on the lands. Consequently today groves of grey-green olive trees can be seen all over the region bringing a beautiful yet sober look to the valley.
Whilst travelling around the north of the country, I have come across some very old granite olive oil ‘lagares’ (tanks) at various places and have often wondered as to how these massive contraptions would have actually worked back in those days. Today of course everything is mechanized but in those days traditionally, the process was long and arduous and would start with carefully, manually harvesting the olives which takes place in the late Autumn early winter. They have changed colour from green to black during late summer so that when they are picked they are considered ripe. The oil is often indicative of its flavour so a greenish colour can produce a more fruity oil but care needs to be taken to ensure that it isn’t bitter whereas overripe olives can produce a rancid oil and therefore ideally the olives should be perfectly ripe when harvested.
The olives were crushed in a circular granite tank by three to four large granite rings standing vertically inside it. In what would seem incredibly hard work for one animal alone, these large rings would rotate by being pulled by an ox or mule. The resulting crushed paste, made up of oil, water (there is always a small amount of water in an olive) and a solid mass, would be left to decant for a while to begin the separation process. Following this, the solid mass was spread on woven mats which were then stacked one on top of another and finally crushed under the weight of two solid granite ball-shaped rocks supported from wooden beams hanging horizontally from the wall. From this, would drain oil and water which would separate due to the difference in density, the oil rising to the top whilst the water would remain underneath. The resulting oil was light green, almost fluorescent, creamy with a penetrating perfume and an intense and spicy taste. This was cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil and in today’s standards cannot exceed 0.8 acidity or have impurities and is of course the finest there is.
Sadly today, these beautiful old olive oil granite ‘lagares’ and presses stand as monuments to the incredible hard work that went into making this product and one cannot help but admire their impressive beauty.
Today six DOP (Denominação de Origem Protegida) protected regions exist in Portugal:
There is a whole new trend and focus on selective and quality olive oil production with small and large producers planting new olive groves and using the latest in technology for extraction. With all of these improvements one can easily find a vast new array of excellent quality olive oils available to choose from.
I find it unfortunate that Portuguese olive oil is practically unheard of in other countries as it is top class and not overly expensive. The whole history behind its production over the centuries should make any Portuguese person proud of their heritage.
Palestine but only after the expansion of the Roman Empire did the olive oil reach a corresponding growth and consequently into the Mediterranean. There is evidence of olive trees in Portugal dating back to the Bronze Age but only in the twelfth and thirteenth centuries did Portugal’s production gain greater importance. Following the Portuguese discoveries, olive oil was exported on a bigger scale and in the mid-sixteenth century, the
consumption had grown intensely as the oil was used as fuel for lighting with the main markets being in northern Europe and India.
During the late 19th century, when a small louse called Phylloxera devastated all the vineyards throughout Europe, including Portugal, olive trees were planted in place of vines in the Douro valley in an attempt to bring in an income for those people who stayed on the lands. Consequently today groves of grey-green olive trees can be seen all over the region bringing a beautiful yet sober look to the valley.Whilst travelling around the north of the country, I have come across some very old granite olive oil ‘lagares’ (tanks) at various places and have often wondered as to how these massive contraptions would have actually worked back in those days. Today of course everything is mechanized but in those days traditionally, the process was long and arduous and would start with carefully, manually harvesting the olives which takes place in the late Autumn early winter. They have changed colour from green to black during late summer so that when they are picked they are considered ripe. The oil is often indicative of its flavour so a greenish colour can produce a more fruity oil but care needs to be taken to ensure that it isn’t bitter whereas overripe olives can produce a rancid oil and therefore ideally the olives should be perfectly ripe when harvested.
The olives were crushed in a circular granite tank by three to four large granite rings standing vertically inside it. In what would seem incredibly hard work for one animal alone, these large rings would rotate by being pulled by an ox or mule. The resulting crushed paste, made up of oil, water (there is always a small amount of water in an olive) and a solid mass, would be left to decant for a while to begin the separation process. Following this, the solid mass was spread on woven mats which were then stacked one on top of another and finally crushed under the weight of two solid granite ball-shaped rocks supported from wooden beams hanging horizontally from the wall. From this, would drain oil and water which would separate due to the difference in density, the oil rising to the top whilst the water would remain underneath. The resulting oil was light green, almost fluorescent, creamy with a penetrating perfume and an intense and spicy taste. This was cold pressed Extra Virgin Olive Oil and in today’s standards cannot exceed 0.8 acidity or have impurities and is of course the finest there is.
Sadly today, these beautiful old olive oil granite ‘lagares’ and presses stand as monuments to the incredible hard work that went into making this product and one cannot help but admire their impressive beauty.- DOP Trás os Montes
- DOP Beira Interior
- DOP Ribatejo
- DOP Alentejo interior
- DOP Norte Alentejano
- DOP Moura
There is a whole new trend and focus on selective and quality olive oil production with small and large producers planting new olive groves and using the latest in technology for extraction. With all of these improvements one can easily find a vast new array of excellent quality olive oils available to choose from.I find it unfortunate that Portuguese olive oil is practically unheard of in other countries as it is top class and not overly expensive. The whole history behind its production over the centuries should make any Portuguese person proud of their heritage.
Beautiful Old Olive Tree
Additional information:
www.oliveoil.pt
Monday, April 23, 2012
Bottled Water of Portugal
Bottled Water of portugalWith such a long sea coast, it is not surprising that Portugal has witnessed so many sailings and arrivals. This is why Portugal has been open to the world and to communication for so long. Portugal has assimilated peoples of different origins: Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, northern Europeans and peoples from Mauritania. In spite of all these mixtures, Portugal is one of the oldest nations in Europe. In the 12th century, the country gained its independence from the other kingdoms in the Iberian Peninsula thanks to Count Afonso Henriques, who was the first king. A century later, with the conquest of the Algarve, Portugal was to definitively establish its continental borders.
Source: www.finewaters.com | ||||
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