Herdade do Rocim

Portugal

A small family winery keeping tradition alive with native varietals and distinctive blends

The Alentejo region’s Herdade (homestead) do Rocim estate is owned by Terralis, Lda, a Portuguese company that has its roots in farming and vineyards, and specializes in agricultural machinery. Purchased in 2000, the Herdade do Rocim is a 148 acre vineyard with an accompanying winery that has been completely modernized and made state-of-the-art, a project that took over six years to complete.

Terralis, Lda is itself a part of a larger company, Movicortes, S.A., a multi-faceted business with numerous investments and interests in varying fields of endeavor.

Many Portuguese wineries are owned by large companies who benefit from the esteem and exposure of their wines.

Each and every wine selected for our six different Wine Clubs meets our strict guidelines for quality and rating criteria. Each wine is handcrafted by an authentic, small-production boutique winery with a compelling story to tell like the one above. Since our first Gold Wine Club shipment in 1992, we have added five more impressive Wine Clubs to choose from—each a showcase for highly-rated, sought-after wines you can enjoy as a Gold Medal, wine of the month club member.

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Alentejo, Portugal

No Portuguese wine region has been more responsible for the country’s wine revolution than the Alentejo. The region is Portugal’s largest, with its great flat plains covering nearly one-third of the entire country.

The region is the warmest of any in Portugal and is covered by an incredible irrigation system that allows a wide assortment of varietals to prosper. The manner of wines produced in the Alentejo with most recent success is closest to a new world style that is fruit forward and acid friendly. It is the only part of Portugal’s wine growing areas that escapes the marine influences of the Atlantic. Alentejo is located southeast of Lisbon and is sparsely populated, with many reminders of the Moorish occupation of the country many centuries ago.

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Antonio Ventura - Winemaker

The Herdade do Rocim utilizes a highly structured team of company executives to produce its wines. Most of the coordination is performed by agricultural engineer Catarina Vieira. She also employs two significant wine consultants, Professor Rogerio de Castro from the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (Portugal’s version of UC Davis). Assistant Professor Amandio Cruz also consults from the same school located in the heart of Lisbon.

Antonio Ventura is a 25-year veteran of the Portuguese wine industry who handles the day-to-day winemaking chores for the company and is considered a renowned specialist in the Portuguese winemaking profession.