Seely to steer Douro red revolution

Quinta do Noval custodian Christian Seely is on a mission to spearhead the Douro Valley’s dry red revolution at his own property, Quinta da Romaneira.

Christian Seely

Speaking to the drinks business during a recent trip to Romaneira, Seely was candid about the fact that focusing on Port wouldn’t have worked.

“The focus was never going to be on Port – the Douro doesn’t need another Port producer. In a similar fashion to Noval, my ambition with Romaneira was to breathe life back into a dying beast and resurrect it to greatness,” he said.

“The dry red revolution is a new thing in the Douro. We’re slowly working out what to do and it’s an exciting development for the valley as it gives us a chance to talk about the terroir, which isn’t really done with Port.

Seely is keen to flag up the terroir in the Douro Valley

“People aren’t aware of our magical terroir as there hasn’t been much talk of it. I’m keen to change that; I want the world to know about these great vineyards,” he added.

Having acquired the 400-hectare estate in 2004, just 36 hectares were under vine at the time with the property having been in decline since the 1920s.

Seely has since ramped up the plantings to 85 hectares, restoring the old terraces, and has ambitions to plant a further 100 hectares in the future. In addition to indigenous Portuguese varieties, he has put his faith in Petit Verdot.

“I’m a big believer in the quality of Petit Verdot from the Douro. It’s a variety that likes sunshine, and often doesn’t get ripe enough in Bordeaux. It likes water too and since we started irrigating in 2011, we’ve seen fantastic results,” he told db.

Just 3,500 bottles of Petit Verdot are made at the moment, but Seely is keen to increase production. Another red he’s backing is Syrah, with the estate now making the fresh and elegant styles he’s striving for.

“In the beginning the wines were a little too New World in character but we’re starting to see the freshness coming through,” he said.

A variety Seely isn’t ashamed of abandoning is Cabernet Sauvignon. “The Cabernets we made here didn’t taste very good, so we’ve uprooted the vines,” he revealed.

Dry reds account for 76% of production at Romaneira, with the remainder made up by vintage, LBV and tawny Port, along with a two whites and a rosé.

Seely is keen to shake off the misconception that the Douro Valley is the “Australia of Europe”.

“People used to refer to the Douro as the ‘Australia of Europe’ but I don’t think it is. We’re moving towards more balanced wines that express the region’s terroir.

“I don’t want to make rustic wines, but wines with aromatic complexity. I think it’s possible to make elegant and fresh dry reds in the Douro, particularly with Touriga Nacional,” he said.

Having been the project of a group of investors, Romaneira is now jointly owned by Seely and a Brazilian investor.