Taboadella: history and innovation in the Dão region!

A TABOADELLA: 50 HECTARES SURROUNDED BY FOREST

With the Quinta Nova Nossa Senhora do Carmo project now mature, after 20 years, the Amorim family decided that it had the team and know-how to move into other regions. After an extensive search in the Verdes, Dão and Bairrada regions, the opportunity arose to acquire Taboadella.

“A wonderful property, with a total area of 50 hectares, of which 40 hectares are planted with vines.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

At the request of Dr. Luísa Amorim, Engineer Ana Mota and Winemaker Jorge Alves visited Taboadella for the first time in February 2018. When they arrived, they fell in love with the 40 hectares of vineyards on flat, granite terrain, with a maximum slope of 15% and surrounded by forest overlooking the Serra da Estrela.

“When we arrived, we saw a rather neglected vineyard and wines that had been almost abandoned, but with potential.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

At that point, Ana Mota was no longer able to control the winemaking process from the outset, as the pruning of the vines was already coming to an end. There were only two options left: take a risk and, even without the purchase of Taboadella finalised, invest €30,000 to €40,000 (which could be lost if the purchase did not go through) and take advantage of some of the production that might not be destroyed by frost, or wait and delay for a year.

Dr. Luísa Amorim decided to take a chance and the team committed to putting Taboadella on the map of Dão and the Amorim Family. They got to work and vinified all the grapes on the estate, separately by plot, to decide which wines would continue with Taboadella and which would be left behind.

They equipped the cellar, which was nothing more than an unplastered concrete porch, with vats with integrated cooling and heating systems, rented a chiller and bought a destemmer.

After vinification, the wines that did not follow Taboadella were wines from foreign grape varieties.

“Cabernet Sauvignon, which did not ripen properly, Syrah, which despite being good was a foreign variety, and Touriga Franca, which is not a DOC or DOP variety in Dão, meaning that although it is an authorised variety, it is not a recommended variety.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

The wine produced that year was soon launched at trade fairs for major wine selections and magazines in October/November. Taboadella launched four single-varietal wines called “Estudos” (Studies): “Estudo Touriga Nacional,” “Estudo Encruzado,” “Estudo Alfrocheiro,” and “Estudo Jaen.”

According to Ana Mota, the Study Wines were a sensation. The Jaen Study Wine, a Dão grape variety known for being “rough” on the palate, was admired by all and received numerous compliments for being “the best Jaen ever tasted”. The engineer acknowledges that Taboadella has the highest vineyard in Jaen do Dão, at an altitude of 520 metres, but she says that there are no secrets and that to make a good wine, you need a lot of rigour, good viticulture and good oenology.

When they were launched, despite being “Studies,” the labels already included the name “Taboadella” and the lettering used by the brand. As such, when they were launched on the market in 2019, they already had recognition among consumers.

Taboadella Winery

THE WINERY: ELEMENTS OF THE DÃO

The Taboadella winery was located exactly where it stands today. Initially, the aim was to restore the existing winery, but given its dilapidated state, it was decided to demolish it and build a new one.

With this change of plans, Ana Mota took the opportunity to redesign the winery and make it more efficient, lighter, sustainable, functional and conducive to smooth workflow. The main change was the reversal of the naves, which meant completely redoing the previously defined layout, but allowed Taboadella to work with a reduced number of human resources and an almost unlimited amount of wine.

“Mr. Architect Carlos Castanheira is an excellent person and has a great deal of know-how. He is known as Mr. Castanheira because he works a lot with wood, and we wanted a wine cellar that worked with wood, cork, and stone, which are the elements of Dão.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

The Taboadella winery is designed to hold 400,000 bottles. According to Ana Mota, on the day Taboadella reaches 400,000 bottles, the product pyramid will be inverted and the goal will be to produce more Grand Reserves instead of Colheitas, but no more than 400,000 bottles.

“The harvest range will gradually disappear. Stopping selling bottles at €6 and starting to sell them at €60 is a difficult process, but it can be done.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

Taboadella Winery

THE VINEYARD: CONTINUOUS EXPANSION

The Taboadella team consists of 11 people, including 1 winemaker, 2 cellar workers and the remaining 8 employees who work in wine tourism, the winery, gardening or landscaping. The team also includes Ana Mota, Production Director, Jorge Alves, Winemaker, Finance and Logistics, and the teams providing services for winemaking, which are shared between Taboadella and Quinta Nova Nossa Senhora do Carmo.

Taboadella does not produce in the same way as its competitors. When Ana Mota arrived in this region, with her know-how and experience, she decided that pruning at Taboadella would end in April. According to the engineer, the region is greatly affected by frost, which means that the vines must be pruned later so that the production is not damaged.

“When I visited Taboadella in February 2018, they had already pruned the vines and there was nothing I could do. The following year, everyone called me crazy for pruning the vineyard in April! The truth is that today, the neighbours prune at the same time as us. In such a short time, Taboadella has become an example in the Dão region, which makes us very happy.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

Furthermore, at Taboadella, the grapes are harvested when ripe, not green. This decision allows Taboadella to produce wines with structure, aroma and an alcohol content of 13%.

“We have the Encruzado with an alcohol content of 13%, a white wine with an extraordinary structure and aroma. It is a very different wine from others with an alcohol content of 10%/10.5%.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

Although Taboadella is relatively new, it is continuously expanding its property, as its wines are always sold out. According to Ana Mota, the project started with 30,000 bottles and this year 200,000 bottles will be placed on the market.

“I think Dão will be the next region in the country to bear great fruit. Taboadella wines are always sold out.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

Taboadella Vineyard

WINE: A PAST WITH A FUTURE

Ana Mota says that Américo Amorim used to say, “What has a past has a future!” and if Dão was the first region in the country to produce DOC wines, it has an obligation to produce good wines. Similarly, the history of Taboadella dates back to 1255, when there are records of a community called Villae living in Taboadella and already producing wine.

After 20 years of know-how at Quinta Nova, defining the wine portfolio at Taboadella was easier. Taboadella’s wine portfolio stands out from the competition because it presents wines by levels: Colheitas, Reservas and Grandes Reservas.

The Taboadella wine range includes two non-barrel-aged wines called Villae, four single-varietal reserve wines called Encruzado, Jaen, Alfrocheiro and Touriga Nacional, and two grand reserve wines called Grande Villae.

Encruzado is the queen of white grape varieties, Touriga Nacional is the queen of the Dão region, and then we work with Alfrocheiro and Jaen, which are two completely different varieties. Alfrocheiro is a very delicate, smooth and subtle variety, but quite aromatic. I often say that Alfrocheiro is a delicate lady’s wine and Jaen is a rough man’s wine, because it has very angular and tense tannins.
Another variety we have at Taboadella is Tinta Pinheira, with only 1.5 hectares, but that is enough for the use we give it. The Tinta Pinheira variety is only used in the Villae range, as its pine/forest flavour gives them a special touch.

– Engª. Ana Mota

Although Dão wines do not yet receive the same recognition as Douro wines, Engenheira believes that this is because Dão is not yet being taken seriously, but that this will change.

Although still relatively unknown abroad, Taboadella exports 50% of its wines to Europe, the United States, Brazil and Angola, with the remaining 50% destined for the domestic market.

Taboadella Country House

SUSTAINABILITY: ORGANIC AND BIODYNAMIC FARMING

“We have to adapt to climate change every day. The world is changing and moving towards organic farming. At Taboadella, we are already 100% organic.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

In the new vineyards, Ana Mota uses biodynamic processes to help them develop self-defence mechanisms, eliminating the need for disease treatment. In the old vineyards, she continues to use organic farming methods, as she believes that these vines would have difficulty adapting to biodynamic processes.

It should be noted that Taboadella produces organic grapes, not organic wines. The team does not believe in natural wines, but rather that the quality of the raw material is extremely important and represents 80% of the final product.

According to Ana Mota, the use of organic grapes in the production of its wines allows Taboadella to produce wines with more aroma, colour, flavour and other characteristics that are not possible with conventional agriculture.

“We have higher costs and lower production, but we believe this is the way forward!”

– Engª. Ana Mota

At Taboadella, sustainability is not only biological, but also financial, human resources and processes.

“We want the people who work with us to stay here, because it costs a lot to train someone only for them to leave after a year or two. That is why we believe that, in order to be sustainable, it is necessary for people to be treated well, to have their rights and good salaries.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

Taboadella

THE FUTURE: A PROJECT ON THE RISE

Although Taboadella is a recent project, only four years old, whenever people talk about Dão, they talk about Taboadella. According to Ana Mota, Taboadella is keen to spread the name of Dão, which is why its bottles always include the name “Dão”.

“At Taboadella, we intend to keep pace with the market, continue to grow, reach 400,000 bottles, reduce the number of entry-level wine bottles, and sell our best-selling wines!”

– Engª. Ana Mota

THE PERFECT PARTNERSHIP: BARCELBAL

The partnership between Barcelbal and Taboadella began with the start of the project to build the new winery, as Barcelbal has been a partner of Quinta Nova Nossa Senhora do Carmo since 2003.

“If we have no problems and enjoy a perfect partnership, when we need a weighbridge for Taboadella, it obviously has to be from Barcelbal. Why would we choose another supplier when we are so well served by Barcelbal!”

-Engª. Ana Mota

The weighbridge installed at Taboadella is used to check the weight of the grapes when they arrive at the winery. Engineer Ana Mota states that Taboadella is very strict when it comes to cost control and it is important that when the grapes arrive at the weighbridge, the correct weight is displayed, as the cost of the grapes is determined based on their weight.

“It is important that the scales are calibrated and certified, and we have never had any problems with Barcelbal. Barcelbal responds very effectively. Whenever there is a problem, we call them and a technician quickly comes to resolve it. It is a partnership that works very well!”

-Engª. Ana Mota

Engineer Ana Mota says that with Barcelbal, she doesn’t have to worry about anything. When spring arrives and it’s time to service and calibrate the scales, Barcelbal reminds her and takes care of everything.

“The weighbridge is a piece of equipment that, when we are using it and a problem arises, must be quickly resolved, otherwise it will disrupt production.”

– Engª. Ana Mota

Weighing equipment installed at Taboadella

Weighbridge installed in Taboadella