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Tuesday, March 19, 2024

DFJ VINHOS SA : The New Portugal, Create Wines that People Enjoy

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DFJ VINHOS was created in 1998, has 250 ha of vineyards, mostly in the Lisbon region. In 2008, ten years on from its foundation, DFJ Vinhos is proud of how far it has come: the Portuguese company holding one of the largest shares of the British market, equivalent to the export of one and a half million bottles annually. In just these few short years, the company has had a global impact in an increasingly competitive sector and now exports some 90% of its production, representing some 5.4 million bottles, the overwhelming majority targeting the medium segment with a highly competitive pricing strategy.

Eng. José Neiva Correia is the owner of the company and the chief winemaker, producing wines since 1974. José Neiva Correia had two training ports : Gesenheim in Germany and Bordeaux in France. This allowed him to discover different methods of production, to compare them and to be inspired later to make his own wines. Today, he is still a consultant for four competing companies (50 million liters).

At all times, José Neiva Correia, a descendant of several generations of winegrowers, has followed the family tradition. However, he has never stopped doing research, inventing ways to modernize his work and improve the quality of wines, or creating solutions for winemakers from here and elsewhere. His products respond to modern issues, both from the point of view of consumers and producers.

For 35 years, he worked with the engineer Octavio Pato, one of the best Portuguese winemakers in the 60s, 70s and 80s. With this experience and his laboratory work, José Neiva Correia learned how to analyze wine, water, earth, leaves, etc., and all this has allowed him to deepen his knowledge. He is particularly distinguished thanks to a patent he has filed for a method of disinfecting corks.

The climate in the Lisboa (Lisbon) wine region is temperate, soft, with rain and humidity during the appropriate season. However the many valleys and hills in this region give rise to the most diverse microclimates. The quality and characteristics of the soil also vary leading to different terroirs. Finally, the proximity to the Atlantic Ocean moderates the climate so that there is little variation in temperature, with moderate Winters and Summers, and the nocturnal dew leads to regular maturation.

The 200 hectares of vineyard belonging to Rui Abreu Correia, Herds., (RAC) in the Lisbon region, are prepared for mechanical grape picking (12 to 15 ha/day), in order to avoid the Equinox (September 21st), when 90% rain is predicted.

In the RAC vineyards the plants are fed with organic material produced from domestic residue. All this material is tested for heavymetals. The nutrition of the vines is done in a rational way without excesses or deficiencies. The vine’s needs dictate the dosage of water and nutrients conceded.

The final result is high quality production well above the average production in Portugal.

All the wine is made in accordance with the client’s wishes and the demands of the market in matters of taste. This results from 20 years of partnerships with foreign distributors, namely the British market, the most demanding and difficult of world markets.

DFJ uses only French oak barrels bought from Seguin Moreau and restores them in its own cooperage.

Quinta da Fonte Bela – Cathedral of the Wine

Located in Vila Chã de Ourique – Cartaxo, 80 km north of the city of Lisbon, it is a unique centennial property. Most of the buildings belong to the so-called “Cast-iron architecture” used in the second half of the 19th century by the followers of Eiffel. All the facilities were designed by engineers of the atelierof Eiffel, who at the time were in Portugal to design public works, such as the Santa Justa elevator in Lisbon and the D. Luís bridge in Porto. The owner of the Quinta at the time (António Francisco Ribeiro Ferreira) took advantage of the presence of these engineers and commissioned the plans of what would become the center of his agricultural activity. The first building came to be the cellar completed in 1897. The exterior architecture is also unique in Portugal because it is characteristic of southern France and Balearic Islands that were certainly the origin of engineers.

Also known as the Cathedral of Wine, Quinta da Fonte Bela is composed of several buildings, among which we find the headquarters of the DFJ where are the offices, a vinification center, a bottling line, warehouses, a cellar with capacity for 9.3 millions of liters, cooperage, laboratory and living room. All in a total of 17,197 m 2   and a covered area of ​​8,063 m 2 .

DFJ WINES received 564 awards in 2019 including 38 trophies and 197 gold medals. Since 2010 we won 3145 awards.

“The Eng. José Neiva Correia, owner and chief winemaker of the company, stated that: “We are very proud because it is an excellent recognition of the effort of our working group that every day strives to get the best price and quality in all our wines. They aren’t an end in themselves, but they are a strong recognition of our work, helping those who work with us around the world to get the message to their customers of the excellence of our work.”

Very recently, DFJ VINHOS SA has joined Singapore Awards 2020 and win 16 Gold Medals and 4 Silver Medals, DFJ Wines are indeed the best quality wines.

PORTADA Winemakers Selection white 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Fruity, young, refreshing wine, where you can feel the aroma and tasting of apples and citrus fruits. Very tasty, pleasant, soft wine, easy to drink, great for day-to-day.

PORTADA Winemakers Selection rosé 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Bright, fragrant, with notes of apple and ripe red fruits. Very tasty, refreshing, elegant, soft, great for daily consumption.

CASA do LAGO white 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Aromatic and full-bodied, with notes of apple, which make this wine delicious and refreshing.

CASA do LAGO rosé 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Bright, fragrant, with notes of apple, strawberries, cherries and ripe red fruits. The tasting is delicious, refreshing, with a long, intense and elegant finish.

PORTADA Medium Sweet rosé 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Intense fruit aroma, sweet and crispy, with fresh and subtle flavors of strawberries and raspberries.

PAXIS Medium Dry white 2018 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Fruity, young, refreshing wine, where you can feel the aroma and tasting of apples and citrus fruits. Very tasty, pleasant, soft wine, easy to drink, great for day-to-day.

PAXIS Medium Dry rosé 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

PAXIS is thus, in a certain sense, an ideal state of escape from daily stress where we can enjoy a good wine reloading all our senses of pleasure.
That is why PAXIS wines are always carefully selected to offer the best price / quality / pleasure ratio. Enjoy!

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Bright light pink with aroma of ripe red fruits. Refreshing, delicious, refined, smooth, with a long, intense and elegant finish.

PAXIS RED BLEND (Bulldog) 2018 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

PAXIS is thus, in a certain sense, an ideal state of escape from daily stress where we can enjoy a good wine reloading all our senses of pleasure.
That is why PAXIS wines are always carefully selected to offer the best price / quality / pleasure ratio. Enjoy!

Classic fermentation method with destemming and pre-fermentative skin contact followed by application of active dry yeasts. Fermentation at 30ºC in the first 2/3, and dropping to 20ºC during the last 1/3. During the entire fermentation process, 2 daily reassemblies are made, using in each one half of the volume contained in the vat. After the alcoholic fermentation, the blanket is dipped for 30 days, during which the smooth tannins are extracted, malolactic fermentation and natural stabilization of the wine.

PAXIS WHITE BLEND (Bulldog) 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

PAXIS is thus, in a certain sense, an ideal state of escape from daily stress where we can enjoy a good wine reloading all our senses of pleasure.
That is why PAXIS wines are always carefully selected to offer the best price / quality / pleasure ratio. Enjoy!

A fruity wine, with notes of tropical and citrus fruits. In the tasting we feel mineral notes adding more freshness to this powerful, intense and persistent white wine. João Paulo Martins; Wines of Portugal 2016; “It is destined for the foreign market and, therefore, internally it is only available in the company itself. Very fresh and aromatic, with green and citrus notes to be present, the wine has a very evident summer side. Good volume in the mouth, acidity here well integrated to support the set, the fruit is here in evidence and works well in the set. “

VEGA DOC DOURO red 2018 – DOC DOURO

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Vega is the brightest star in the Lyra constellation and one of the brightest stars in the night sky. With great significance during the Portuguese Discoveries period, as it was one of the coordinates that allowed navigators to calculate their course at night. DFJ VINHOS pays homage to this symbol of our collective heritage with great wines, able to guide us through a tasting full of pleasure.

Classic fermentation method with destemming and pre-fermentative skin contact followed by application of active dry yeasts. Fermentation at 30ºC in the first 2/3, and dropping to 20ºC during the last 1/3. During the entire fermentation process, 2 daily reassemblies are carried out using in each of them half the volume contained in the vat. After the alcoholic fermentation, the blanket is dipped for 30 days, during which the smooth tannins are extracted, malolactic fermentation and natural stabilization of the wine.

DFJ ALVARINHO & CHARDONNAY white 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Complex, full-bodied, fresh and tasty. The tasting is intense, with notes of apples and lemon, very persistent and refreshing. João Paulo Martins; Wines of Portugal 2016; “Good aroma, the focus goes to citrus notes here in association with light notes of white flower, more evident Chardonnay than Arinto. Good volume in the mouth, fine and with a very lively acidity, here citrus notes especially prevail, we have a exquisite white, with a highly convenient price, due to the quality. For soft-cooked fish. “

DFJ TOURIGA NACIONAL & TOURIGA FRANCA red 2018 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Classic fermentation method with destemming and pre-fermentative skin contact followed by application of active dry yeasts. Fermentation at 30ºC in the first 2/3, and dropping to 20ºC during the last 1/3. During the entire fermentation process, 2 daily reassemblies are carried out using in each of them half the volume contained in the vat. After the alcoholic fermentation, the blanket is dipped for 30 days, during which the smooth tannins are extracted, malolactic fermentation and natural stabilization of the wine.

GRAND`ARTE SPECIAL SELECTION red 2014 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

Classic fermentation method with destemming and pre-fermentative skin contact followed by application of active dry yeasts. Fermentation at 30ºC in the first 2/3, and dropping to 20ºC during the last 1/3. During the entire fermentation process, 2 daily reassemblies are carried out using in each of them half the volume contained in the vat. After the alcoholic fermentation, the blanket is dipped for 30 days, during which the smooth tannins are extracted, malolactic fermentation and natural stabilization of the wine.

ALUADO white 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

ALUADO red 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

ALUADO Reserva red 2017 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper

PORTADA Reserva red 2018 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper

Classic fermentation method with destemming and pre-fermentative skin contact followed by application of active dry yeasts. Fermentation at 30ºC in the first 2/3, and dropping to 20ºC during the last 1/3. During the entire fermentation process, 2 daily reassemblies are carried out using in each of them half the volume contained in the vat. After the alcoholic fermentation, the blanket is dipped for 30 days, during which the smooth tannins are extracted, malolactic fermentation and natural stabilization of the wine.

PORTADA Medium Sweet white 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Clear, bright, fruity with apples and citrus fruits. It is a young, refreshing and smooth wine, easy to drink and tasty.

PAXIS Medium Dry red 2018 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper

Classic method of fermentation in steel deposits, with destemming and pre-fermentative skin contact followed by application of active dry yeasts. Fermentation at 30ºC in the first 2/3, and dropping to 20ºC during the last 1/3. During the entire fermentation process, 2 daily reassemblies are carried out using in each of them half the volume contained in the vat. After the alcoholic fermentation, the blanket is dipped for 30 days, during which the smooth tannins are extracted, malolactic fermentation and natural stabilization of the wine.

PAXIS ROSÉ BLEND (Bulldog) 2019 – LISBOA REGIONAL WINE

Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper

PAXIS is thus, in a certain sense, an ideal state of escape from daily stress where we can enjoy a good wine reloading all our senses of pleasure.
That is why PAXIS wines are always carefully selected to offer the best price / quality / pleasure ratio. Enjoy!

Stalked with pre-fermentative skin contact. The must is cooled to 15ºC and is vacuum filtered with perlites. Fermentation is done with active dry yeasts, with the temperature controlled between 16ºC and 18ºC.

Interview of MR. LUIS GOUVEIA Sales and Marketing Director 

Question 1: Do you already export to Singapore ? If yes, where ? If no, what type of importers & distributors are you looking for in Singapore ?

DFJ VINHOS don’t export to Singapore. Our goal is to find an importer who will tell us if some of the wines we produce have the quality price that some of the consumers in Singapore like.

At DFJ we try to offer wines that give pleasure and are versatile, at the table, at a meeting of friends or at a social event.

Being Portuguese, wine is still for many of us a basic product of our diet and that is why we have a great concern with quality, but also with price.

We try very hard to find that wine that accompanies us on a daily basis. The strength of our offer is wines with excellent price, quality and recognition. In 2019 we won 564 awards, including 38 trophies and 197 gold medals.

Question 2: What is the most unique and qualitative part of your products, different from competitors ?

We have a great concern for fruity, rich, elegant and smooth wines full of taste and life.

I often give an example. Which wine should be chosen for a party of 1000 people, for example a wedding in which half are women. Also half have less than 30 years old. Only one white and one red can be chosen. How to avoid that after 5 minutes the wines don’t give pleasure and most of the guests started asking for water, juices, beers and sodas. In addition to the wine bill that someone will have to pay, there is an evident shame to realize that that detail of such an important party went very badly. A good part of our job is to innovate, to try to produce this type of consensual wines that offer pleasure and that take away some of the complexities of our life. We produce also Premium wines where the characteristics are the same but one find more richness and finesse.

Question 3: When did you start to export your brand worldwide, and what is your development plan for the next years ?

DFJ VINHOS born in 1998 with the objective to export to the United Kingdom. In the UK, two of the three original partners are wine importers since the 70’s. The 3rd partner was the Portuguese oenologist in which they trusted to produce the wines to the taste of the English consumer. Since 2005, the oenologist is the sole owner of the company. Today we export 99% of more than 8 million bottles to more than 50 countries.

We plan to grow in quality and in volume. We work each day to maintain the Certification of the Quality BRC – grade AA highest level.

We plan to grow our own production, today 250 ha of vineyards certified as environment sustainable production.

We want also to increase our innovation in blends and packaging.  Because of that our signature THE NEW PORTUGAL.

Finally, one of our goals is to strengthen partnerships with our customers, who bring us information from consumers, who advise us to change, to improve what we do, who inform us about new opportunities.

 Thank you for your time and answers MRLUÍS GOUVEIA !

Importers and Distributors for more information about DFJ VINHOS SA please CLICK HERE or email MRLUÍS GOUVEIA : luis.gouveia@dfjvinhos.com

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