About the Winery

Gilvesy Pincészet

Hungarian expat Róbert Gilvesy moved back to his homeland from Canada, and began building the Gilvesy winemaking empire on the former Esterházy estate on Szent György Hill. Thanks to years of hard work, the Hegymagas-based facility now includes a modern building complex and about 13 hectares of vineyards, in addition to being the home of the family. The area is shaped by 6 million years old volcanoes, where indigenous and international varieties grow organically.

Robert’s absolute admiration for nature and the terroir translates into an immense respect for the environment. By farming using organic practices, the soils and the vines stay healthy. In the winery, by letting nature take its course without controlling the processes, and using local resources, such as Hungarian oak barrels, Gilvesy promotes and protects the Balaton region.

About the Winery

Niepoort

There is a revolution happening in the Douro, and Dirk Niepoort is leading the troops. For centuries this part of Portugal has been known only for its port, but today, many of these Portuguese winemakers are beginning to make red and white table wines with the same grapes that have traditionally only been used for ports.

Dirk was born in 1964 to a traditional Port family that has been in business since 1842. The first wine Dirk participated in making was the Niepoort Vintage Porto of 1987. At the time, the family-owned no vineyards, and had to source all its wine and grapes from other growers. Since then, he took over the management of the winery and set to purchasing top, old-vine, steep vineyards to secure top-quality grapes. He also started a project of making dry wines, from these prized, generally north-facing vineyards. The Niepoort house still keeps a complete line-up of Porto wines, ranging from Tawny to Colheita and Garrafeira (a tawny aged in 10L glass bottles, that only Niepoort makes), and from Ruby to Vintage. The dry wines, which now make up about 75% of the winery's production, include whites Redoma and Redoma Reserva, and reds Vertente, Redoma, Batuta, and Charmes. 

Today, the Niepoort family owns 80 HA of vines in the Douro, all farmed organically, incorporating some Biodynamic principles as well. They also have purchased some truly amazing, old vine vineyards in Bairrada, Dao and Vino Verde. Dirk also now has vineyards in the Mosel in Germany, which he vinifies with his two sons. While the Ports remain fairly traditionally made, the still wines have evolved considerably since the days of the late 90s and early 2000s when big, powerful, oaky wines were the trend. Today, the wines are very much in keeping with today's more progressive drinking wheelhouse. Namely, lower alcohols (often 11-13%), lighter, fresher, more drinkable-styled wines with minimal new oak influence. 

About the Winery

Parés Baltà

Parés Baltà is a family-owned winery in the Penedès region of Spain with traditions dating back to the 18th century. In 1790, the first vines were planted on the estate that now surrounds the winery. Today, however, more than 220 years later, almost everything is different.

The acquisition of the winery in 1978 by Mr. Joan Cusiné Hill, born in 1917 in Bellvei del Penedés, and the addition of the exemplary estates “La Torreta” and “Els Pujols” mark the beginning of the Parés Baltà of today. Mr. Joan Cusiné Hill comes from a family of vine-growers and, already from the age of seven, he helped his father to cultivate the vineyards.

His son, Joan Cusiné Cusiné, started to manage Parés Baltà in the '80s and released its first still white wine, which is still produced today, “Blanc de Pacs." At the end of the 80s, the first red wine from the company was produced, and since then he has enthusiastically been attempting anything that could raise the quality of the wines.

Since 2000, the management has been in the hands of the two grandsons, Joan and Josep Cusiné Carol. They have brought new and fresh ideas into the company, but also show respect for its tradition and have guarded the heritage. The wives of Joan and Josep, Maria Elena Jimenez and Marta Casas are the winemakers and oenologists. They have continued to develop new wines and increase the focus on quality.

Today, Parés Baltà produces a wide range of high-quality wines and Cavas that have been acclaimed both nationally and internationally. Every single wine is certified organic and the vineyards are biodynamic. Always keeping quality in view, the aim is to produce some of the best and most interesting wines in the world while protecting the environment.

About the Winery

Aphros

Founded in 2002, Aphros is a project designed to combine ecological and economical aspects to create true sustainability. Their belief is that nature and labour should combine in a meaningful way and they seek to capture this through Biodynamic viticulture, letting the uniqueness of the land shine through the fruit for inimitable wines. Loureiro and Vinhão have grown in these vineyards for centuries and serve as the reference point for the region.

The grapes are sourced from the Lima sub-region and the vines of Casal do Paço are situated in a south-facing amphitheatre north of the Lima River on gentle slopes with cool Atlantic breezes.

The winemaking is traditional, taking place in the basement beneath the main house. The cave is buried and naturally cool and damp. They once again straddle the line between a modern and traditional character with the addition of modern stainless steel equipment and traditional open-top lagars, and granite stone tanks, for red wine production.