Douro Boys「醉」美麗黃昏

　　新濠天地與《澳門特寫》於上星期六(2010年5月22日)在新濠天地皇冠度假酒店尚雅坊餐廳舉行了Douro Boys五大葡萄酒酒莊之試酒會。這是首次五大酒莊聯同一起前往亞洲地區，這次試酒盛會帶來令人難忘的體驗，超過120位嘉賓可品嚐這些頂級佳釀，包括紅酒、白酒和少量砵酒，機會難逢。

　　糅合歷經了時間考驗的傳統釀酒技藝和現代科技，釀酒商出產的葡萄酒，有著全球最頂級的質素，其中包括Quinta do Vale Meão、Quinta do Vale D. Maria、Quinta do Crasto、Niepoort和Quinta do Vallado。。五大傑出酒莊位於風景迷人的葡萄牙北部Douro葡萄園區，而著名的砵酒（Port Wine），就是在這裡出產的，已有數個世紀的歷史。當中相當多的葡萄酒曾被專業酒評雜誌Wine Spectator評為葡萄牙葡萄酒之前十位，同時亦被國際知名的酒評家羅伯帕克先生（Mr. Robert Parker）給予高於九十分的評價。

　　對於《澳門特寫》之出版人白嘉度先生（Mr. Ricardo Pinto）來說，是次試酒盛會是該雜誌之首次舉辦，為一次難得的黃金機會。白嘉度先生表示：「我們當然不能錯過能參與推廣全球頂級葡萄酒之機會，葡萄酒、美食和晚宴都是《澳門特寫》很核心的部份，能舉辦這類活動，也是我們這本生活與藝術雜誌自然發展之路。我們非常榮幸能和Douro Boys五大酒莊合作，打響了這樣有質素的頭炮，我們肯定會於未來繼續舉辦這類的活動。」

　　新濠天地之餐飲部副總裁Kristoffer Luczak先生表示：「新濠天地十分榮幸能與《澳門特寫》合作，邀請到葡萄牙出產少數最上乘佳釀的Douro Boys五大酒莊來澳門展示其佳釀。Douro Boys在澳門已有一定數量的支持者，是次集合了五大酒莊的Douro Boys之試酒會帶給愛酒人士及業內專業人士一晚難得的機會，美酒佳餚的完美配合，讓人沉醉於在美好的時光之中。」

　　其中Quinta do Vallado酒莊之代表人化利拉先生（Mr. João Alvares Ferreira）表示：「Douro Boys對今次到亞洲之旅感到極之興奮，因為可以藉著這個機會，學習亞洲國家不同的煮食文化。」他又補充說：「我們很想知道我們Douro酒莊的富礦物質和帶香料風味的葡萄酒會如何與亞洲的美食融合起來。除此之外，每次我們一起旅遊，都是一如以往，充滿了樂趣。」

　　到香港參加葡萄酒博覽會之前，他們先來到了澳門。是次試酒會得到了Wines of Portugal和澳門洋酒協會的支持，並由Vino Veritas貿易公司將Douro Boys的葡萄酒入口到澳門。

　　總而言之，這晚頂級葡萄酒之盛會就像澳門洋酒協會山度士先生（Mr. Filipe Santos）所說的：「Douro Boys五大酒莊一向出產的葡萄酒都是葡萄牙Douro葡萄園區最上乘的，這證明了糅合葡葡萄牙土生的葡萄和獨特的地理特性，不只能夠出產上乘的砵酒，還能出產傳統酒中最傑出的白酒和紅酒。」

　　他又補充說：「我們衷心希望今次試酒會為參加者留下美好的回憶，不論是對企業而言；還是對葡萄酒愛好者而言皆是。我們也恭賀新濠天地及《澳門特寫》舉辦是次試酒會所取得的成功。」

　　從Quinta do Vale Meão酒莊來的奧拉沙巴先生（Mr. Francisco Olazabal）帶來了Meandro 2007（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予它它九十分的評價）、 Quinta do Vale Meão（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予九十四分的評價）和2007年的Vintage砵酒。

　　Quinta do Vale D. Maria酒莊的凡沙拉先生（Mr. Cristiano van Zeller）則帶來了三種2007年的極品紅酒，一種VZ 2008年的白酒和一種2007年非常精緻的Vintage砵酒。

　　Quinta do Crasto酒莊的魯基提先生（Mr. Miguel Roquette)則連同其他名酒，帶來Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva 2007（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予九十四分的評價）、 Quinta do Crasto Douro Vinha Maria Teresa 2006（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予九十一分的評價 ）和 Quinta do Crasto Douro Vinha Maria Teresa 2006（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予九十一分的評價 ）。

　　Nieport酒莊的德利斯先生（Mr. José Teles ）帶來了極受好評的Redoma Douro 2007年紅酒（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予九十四分的評價）、Redoma Reserva 2008年白酒和2007年的Vintage砵酒（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予九十三分的評價 ）。

　　壓軸的還有從Quinta do Vallado酒莊化利拉先生（Mr. João Alvares Ferreira），他為試酒會帶來了Quinta do Vallado Douro 2008年白酒（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予九十分的評價）和 Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional 2007（酒評家羅伯帕克先生給予八十九分的評價），除了以上的名酒外，還有很多從他酒莊來的頂級葡萄酒。

關於Douro Boys
　　Douro Boys並非葡萄牙男子樂隊組合，而是葡萄牙新興五大酒莊，承傳至今已有兩代人之久，專門釀造最細緻的佳酒，包括在共同酒區Quintas（葡萄牙酒莊農場）釀製之波酒，以供高級宴會時享用。

　　五大酒莊位處於寛廣的片狀沃土之上，氣候變化小。酒莊分別是Vale Meao、Crasto、Vallado、Vale Dona Maria及Niepoort，為公認為國際之最佳葡萄牙釀酒商，在高級酒壇中享有的良好口碑。

An Evening with the Douro Boys
Award-winning Portuguese Wine Producers Showcase Their Reds,
Dry Whites and Ports in Macau

　　City of Dreams, in collaboration with Macau CLOSER hosted an exclusive wine tasting event at Horizons restaurant with the Douro Boys on last Saturday, May 22, 2010. This was the first time the team of five superb winemakers has traveled together to Asia, a trip which raised great expectations among the five. Over 120 special guests attended the event and had the opportunity to sample reds, dry whites and a few Ports.

　　Combining timeless know-how with modern technologies, these producers – Quinta do Vale Meão, Quinta do Vale D. Maria, Quinta do Crasto, Niepoort and Quinta do Vallado - create some of the most impressive wines in the world. They own family estates and are located in the picturesque Douro Valley in northern Portugal, the same region where Port wine has been produced for centuries. Many of these wines have placed in the top 10 list of the best Portuguese wines in Wine Spectator, and the famous wine connoisseur Mr. Robert Parker gives a score of more than 90 ‘Parker Points®’ for many of these wines.

　　For the Director of Macau CLOSER, Mr. Ricardo Pinto, this has been a golden première for the magazine in terms of organizing a wine tasting event. “We couldn’t miss the opportunity of contributing to the promotion of some of the best wines in the world. Wines, gourmet food and dining are an essential part of Macau CLOSER, and organizing these kinds of events is a natural extension of what our living and arts magazine is. We are proud and honored to have started with the Douro Boys. We will surely organize more events like this in the future,” Mr. Pinto said.

　　“City of Dreams is honored to collaborate with Macau CLOSER to bring the Douro Boys, a multitalented winemaking phenomenon, who brings some of the very superb Portuguese wines to Macau. As they have already had a consistent base of followers in Macau, this was a perfect opportunity for wine lovers and industry professionals to taste the excellent wines that the five winemakers have been producing in their vineyards, enjoy the good time with good wines and great food at a single event,” said Mr. Kristoffer Luczak, Vice President of Food and Beverage at City of Dreams.

　　“The Douro Boys are extremely excited to make their first trip to Asia, in order to learn more about the cuisine and the culinary culture in Asian countries,” said Mr. João Alvares Ferreira, from Quinta do Vallado. “We would like to find out how the mineral and spicy wines of the Douro harmonize with Asian dishes. Apart from that, we are having great fun, as always, when we travel together,” he added.

　　This visit to Macau, before attending the VINEXPO in Hong Kong, was supported by Wines of Portugal, the Wine Society of Macau and Vino Veritas trading company, which imports the Douro Boys’ wines to Macau.

　　All in all, it was an evening of wine excellence as the President of the Wine Society of Macau, Mr. Filipe Santos remarked, “The Douro Boys have been creating some of the best wines in the Douro region in Portugal, showing that a good combination of the native Portuguese grapes and the unique terroir can produce not only excellent Port wines, but also some of the best whites and reds of the old world.”

　　He added, “We hope that this wine tasting has been a memorable event for the participants, either from the industry or simply as wine lovers, and we congratulate City of Dreams and Macau CLOSER on the success of the event.”

　　From Quinta do Vale Meão, Mr. Francisco Olazabal brought Meandro 2007 (90 Parker Points®), Quinta do Vale Meão Vintage 2007 (94 Parker Points®) and a 2007 Vintage Port.

　　From Quinta Vale D. Maria, Cristiano van Zeller had the excellent Quinta Vale D. Maria 2007 Douro Red (93 Parker Points® and 93 Wine Spectator®), Van Zellers 2007 Douro Red (90 Wine Spectator®) CV-Curriculum Vitae 2007 Douro Red (93 Parker Points® and 91 Wine Spectator®).

　　Mr. Miguel Roquette from Quinta do Crasto, offered among others, the excellent Quinta do Crasto Douro Reserva 2007 (94 Parker Points®), Quinta do Crasto Douro Vinha Maria Teresa 2006 (91 Parker Points®) and Quinta do Crasto Douro Vinha Maria Teresa 2006 (91 Parker Points®) and Quinta do Crasto Douro Vinha Maria Teresa 2006 (91 Parker Points®).

　　Mr. José Teles, from Nieport, offered samples of the highly praised Redoma Douro Red 2007 (94 Parker Points), Redoma Reserva White 2008 (93 Parker Points®) and a 2007 Vintage Port (93 Parker Points) among others.

　　Last but not the least, João Alvares Ferreira from Quinta do Vallado brought his superb Quinta do Vallado Douro White 2008 (90 Parker Points®), a Quinta do Vallado Touriga Nacional 2007 (94 Wine Spectator®) and Quinta do Vallado Reserve Field Blend 2007 (96 Wine Spectator®) among other top-notch wines from his estate.

About the Douro Boys

　　Definitely not a Portuguese “boys’ band”, the Douro Boys are a group of five highly knowledgeable and skilled winemakers spanning two generations, responsible for superb table and Port wines produced in their collective Quintas (Portuguese for farms where the vines grow).

　　The five properties owned by the Douro Boys cover a broad spectrum of micro-climates and schistous terroir: Quinta do Vale Meão, Quinta do Vale D. Maria, Quinta do Crasto, Niepoort’s Quinta do Nápoles and Quinta do Vallado. Arguably the best-known Portuguese producers internationally, they’ve been building a solid and deserved reputation for the high quality of their wines.