RCV Series Concept Tinta Cao

"Oh my God, this company is older than my country" - The US ambassador on a visit to Real Companhia Velha in the 1970’s.

Real Companhia Velha is the oldest wine company in Portugal, having recently celebrated 265 years of constant trading since 1756.

In the mid-18th century, there was a crisis with the port market due to a reduction of exports, extreme low prices & the situation being worsened by the fact the trade was dominated & controlled by British merchants.

With the support of a number of personalities including the King D. José I, the Portuguese Prime Minister Sebastiao Jose de Carvalho e Melo, aka the Marquis of Pombal, a decision was made to create a chartered company. Its aim was to break the monopoly of the English Trading Post, to balance supply & demand, to ensure the quality & authenticity of the product & to protect it from disloyal competition by wines from other parts of the kingdom. All of this with royal approval & it soon became one of the Portuguese state’s greatest sources of income. This was the origin of Real Companhia Velha.

Since 1960, Real Companhia Velha has been run by the Silva Reis family, who have dedicated their efforts to the production of both port & Douro wines, focusing on the study & development of the Douro terroir & sustainability.

The 3rd generation of the family has Pedro Silva Reis Junior as the resident winemaker, Pedro Silva Reis, his father, as the Master Blender (for over 40 years) & Tiago Silva Reis developing the market to show a company that combines innovation with tradition in the 5 Quinta’s they own, which are considered some of the best in the Douro Valley.

Series Range

The concept behind SÉRIES is limited release monovarietal wines with grapes selected from class A Douro field blends. With the main goal to be to highlight the quality and characteristics of lesser known Douro varietals…

The Series represent the passion for innovation and experimentation in the search for new wines and diverse styles of vinification. This effort reflects the backstage work developed by RCV winemaking and viticulture team, beginning in 2001, with the recovery and replantation of more than 30 indigenous grape varieties (some close to extinction). In the last 20 years, examples of these grape varietals were planted at our “Quintas”, in single blocks with no less than 1ha, allowing enough quantity for individual vinification with the purpose of bottling as experimental singles varietal wines.

Tinta Cao,

To vinify Tinto Cão for a single varietal wine RCV carried out several experiments with the traditional foot treading process in stone lagares, to small stainless steel tanks. The conclusion: tradition prevails! Fermentation in stone lagares with traditional foot treading allows RCV to explore the classic side of Tinto Cão trough a softer but more consistent extraction. After fermentation, the wine ages in French oak barriques (15% new).

Tinto Cão is a synonym of Douro! It is one of the most popular grapes for modern viticulture in the region for its adaptability, resistance and good yields. It is a vigorous grape, with small berries and very thick skins. This suggests to us a more traditional approach to its vinification in order to discover the best style for this wine which is exactly what RCV have done.

This is a red of great character and expression, with immense aromatic complexity and rusticity, showing aromas of red fruit and herbal suggestions in a charming nose. On the palate this wine reveals itself as rustic, with firm tannins, yet it is delicate, showing some elegance and finishing off vibrant and lingering.

Fantastic with Bolognese sauce, game dishes & even richer Portuguese codfish dishes.