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Symington partners with Anselmo Mendes on Vinho Verde wines
The Symington family and Anselmo Mendes have created a new joint-venture to distribute the wines from the historic Vinho Verde estate – Casa de Rodas – and the renowned Contacto brand.
The news follows the Symington family recently acquiring an estate in the Monção and Melgaço sub-region of the Vinho Verde DOC in northern Portugal – named Casa de Rodas. Through the site, a range of Alvarinho wines from the 27.5 hectare vineyard will be produced with Vinho Verde producer Anselmo Mendes as winemaker. The two families deciding to create a new company, with equal shareholding, to distribute the wines which will be produced from the property – the first made this year.
The joint venture will also acquire the renowned Vinho Verde brand, Contacto, produced by Anselmo Mendes – a 100% Alvarinho wine successful in Portugal and internationally, and which both families believe “has great potential for further development”, they said.
Speaking about the new venture, Anselmo Mendes said: “Monção-Melgaço has become one of the world-class white wine-producing regions over the last few years. Being from Monção myself, I am very proud of playing a part in this success.
“This partnership with the Symington family makes me very pleased because together we will create greater value for our brands and contribute to the wider recognition of Monção-Melgaço wines. Both our families share a passion for our own vineyards and select the best terroirs carefully. My family owns three properties in Monção-Melgaço with a total of 60 hectares planted with Alvarinho, with Quinta da Torre being the largest viticultural area in the region.”
Rupert Symington, CEO of Symington Family Estates, said: “It is with great pleasure that we make this announcement today. We believe in establishing long-term partnerships with people who share the same vision, values and standards as us and we are proud to be working with Anselmo Mendes and his family.
“Anselmo has rightly earned his reputation as one of the most accomplished winemakers in Portugal and as a pioneer in the Vinho Verde region.”
Referring to the Contacto brand, Rupert Symington said: “Contacto is a great example of an excellent Vinho Verde produced entirely from the Alvarinho grape variety. It has good distribution in Portugal and other international markets. We believe that premium Vinho Verde has enormous potential in some key export markets, and we plan to use our international distribution network to help to expand the sales of a wine that we consider to be the most famous premium white wine in Portugal.”