It was officially presented what is the first wine brandy with quality seal and DOC certification of Tejo, guarantee awarded by the Tejo Regional Wine Commission (CVR Tejo).
Produced by Quinta da Atela, in Alpiarça, and under the brand 'Capela da Atela', it is part of the Velhíssima or Extra Old (XO) category, with 20 Years. It also has the particularity of being made predominantly with grapes of the Fernão Pires variety, which gives it the "status" of monovarietal.
For Luís de Castro, president of CVRTejo, this is "another step in the valorization of the territory, its products and people, and economic activity depends entirely on this triad. We are facing a peculiar brandy, due to its age, extreme purity and flavor".
The excellence of 'Capela da Atela Aguardente Vínica Velhíssima XO 20 Anos' begins in the vineyard, an 'old vineyard' with a predominance of Fernão Pires (87%) - and the presence of other varieties, such as Boal de Alicante, Tamarez and Tália, in small percentages. Located in front of the current Quinta da Atela wine tourism space, it was unfortunately extinct. A careful selection of these grapes, harvested early, gave rise to a young wine, full of acidity, freshness and exuberant aromas. After alcoholic fermentation, this wine was distilled and re-distilled in a "Charantais" still - direct fire in a pot - an ancestral technique typical of the Cognac region in France.
A masterful job, done by a distiller with decades of experience in this technique, which gives the brandy a finesse, elegance and complexity not compared to others and which manages to translate much better the raw material that gives rise to it. After redistillation, the brandy aged for about 20 years in new French oak barrels "Limousin" and Portuguese, with a capacity of 225 liters.
According to António Ventura, winemaker at Quinta da Atela, this is a brandy of great nobility, with a deep amber color and evidence of notes of nuts and fine spices on the nose. In the mouth, it is silky and enveloping, with a long and persistent finish. Ideal to complement the end of a meal with all the refinement and pleasure. It should preferably be served in a balloon glass and at a temperature between 16 and 18.ºC.
Distinguished by its uniqueness and flavor, the 'Capela da Atela Aguardente Velhíssima XO 20 Years' is available in a matching packaging, in which the bottle has a capacity of 700 ml. You can buy it at the physical store of Quinta da Atela in Alpiarça or at the online store.
The name and the elements present on the label of this brandy are inspired, as the name indicates, in the chapel of Quinta da Atela, having started from an idea of the journalist Fernando Melo, elected as "the godfather" of this new product of the Tejo region.
