A genius named Fernando Nicolau de Almeida ‘invented’ the most famous Portuguese wine
It is the most famous Portuguese wine and it was almost by chance that Fernando Nicolau de Almeida ‘discovered’ the magic potion of the Old Barca. The story was told to Nascer do SOL by João Nicolau de Almeida, son of the inventor or discoverer, as if you want.
“I remember going [with the brother] to the Meão, where the Old Barca was made, and to see the bus vans of Matosinhos full of ice, to lower the temperature of the fermentation, preserving the primary aromas of the grape,” he said. As at the time there were no winemakers, the choice was made by selection. “At the time there were no laboratories, there was little science. Of course there were basic measurements, but you couldn’t make good wines.It had to have a great capacity of choice. He had several kites and was always choosing: ‘This can go to Barca Velha, this can’t, this can’.
The ice made the fermentation only 20 degrees, but Fernando Nicolau de Almeida, a true genius in the word of many, realized that the Old Barca would be better if he went to fetch grapes from Meda, which were more acidic, fresher and joined them to the ripe grapes of Meão. “He made a blend [mix] of vineyards, some acidic, others mature and thus managed to control the fermentation, because acidity is very important to control the fermentation and for the balance of the wine,” added João.
The first Barca Velha dates back to 1952, but much was improved afterwards.
“My father was a taster, at the time there was no winemakers. He made green wine on a farm we had and now we resumed, but the wine was gas, the bottles burst, etc. And the same thing happened in France, in Bordeaux, that wanted to export wine to America and it began to ferment and the bottles were bursting. So it was at university with Jean Ribéreau Gayon, a scientist who descended from Pasteur, and Émile Peynaud who managed to turn that problem around.” As the father of João Nicolau de Almeida had this problem with green wine, they decided to invite Peynaud in the 70s. “How he had solved this problem, because the bubbles that were created were a second fermentation. He found out that this was done by bacteria and not by yeast. And then he solved it: make the malolactic fermentation before bottling and so it no longer fermented in the bottle and was saved the wine. When my father – who was at Casa Ferreirinha – knew that he had solved it, he invited him to come and see the wine. He was in the tasting room, tasting the green wines and talking about it and he had a red wine next door, and Mr. Peynaud picks up the glass of red wine, smells that and asks, ‘Why are you wasting time on it?’ Do you have one of the best wines I’ve ever seen in my life and are wasting time with green? And he invited my father to Bordeaux. He was there and saw how they were in control of temperatures, acidity, etc.”
Fernando Nicolau de Almeida had a very British mood, and to the restaurants that always took his wines, because he did not like the available ones, which were few, by the way to say. The struggle of the creator of the Old Barca was very difficult with the administration of the Royal Winery, owner of the brand. “I had a very big fight with the administration because of the economic part, because making a wine to sell itself after seven years was complicated. When the wine came out at seven, eight years old was a bomb,” the son added.
The 21st harvest of the Old Barca
Today, the Nicolau de Almeida family walks for other lives, and son João, together with their children, bets everything on Quinta do Monte Xisto. But Barca Velha followed his path and in May Sogrape and Casa Ferreirinha presented the 21st harvest of the famous wine, this time in 2015. The base price will be 860 euros.
To the Public, the winemaker Luís Sottomayor explained that, despite being today “a more modern wine”, “the [its] profile does not change”. In the same article, it is revealed that an Old Barca of 1957, 0.75L, costs almost four thousand euros.
Final note. What each one gives for a bottle of wine alone concerns him. Looking at the wines of the side page, it is a little outrageous for someone to pay almost a million euros for a bottle. But it is also strange to see people drinking Old Barca with Seven Up as I have seen so many times. Fashions are stronger than common sense.