Bargain inexpensive Macau wines no more
Astonishing Portuguese wine in Macau
History of wine in Macau
On the wine list at a restaurant in Macau a bottle of Casa Ferreirinha Barca Velha Douro 2011 is listed at MOP8,880.
What wine is this?! This is not the cheap and value for money wine one is used to in Macau.
Portugal’s Douro Valley was formerly associated only with Port production, and Barca Velha (1952 vintage) was the first high-quality, estate-bottled red wine to be released to the export market.
Back in the 1970s, wine-drinking Macau residents would have been more familiar with labels such as Barca Velha – and regions such as Vinho Verde – than with Rioja or what the British coined “Claret” (red Bordeaux).
Such is the tradition of Portuguese wine in Macau.
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Hong Kong newspaper columnist and restaurant owner Lau Kin Wai (Kin’s Kitchen) comments that in the 1970s, Hong Kong tourists would almost certainly carry back a bottle of Mateus Rosé after a trip to Macau.
Mateus was once one of the top ten selling wines in the world, though few probably knew (or know) that it was made in Portugal.
It would have probably represented the first experience of (grape) wine for most Hong Kongers, says Lau.
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In this era, Mateus Rosé was, for example, on offer at even the most basic dai pai dong on Macau’s Taipa Island, and in small, dusty grocery stores in Coloane Village.
Portuguese wine crossed over to Asia
Beyond anecdote, little is known about the history and importance of Portuguese wine in Macau.
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As well as being part of a ship’s provisions during voyages to Asia, it was also traded.
Historians have recorded that a wine merchant was operating in the enclave of Daman (just north of Goa) in the 1800s and, in the 1500s, Portuguese wine is listed alongside Flemish clocks and Indian chintzes as cargo bound for Japan.
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Things have moved on dramatically since the days when Barca Velha emerged alone but kingly as a Douro red table wine.
Portuguese wine regions, once enslaved to the machinations of the cooperative, began to take matters into their own hands from the late 1970s, treating grape growing as beyond a simple agricultural pursuit, and celebrating winemaking as less job and more vision.
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World recognition for Portuguese wine catapulted after the brilliant 2011 vintage in the Douro Valley when, in 2014, Wine Spectator (USA) magazine’s top 100 wines of the year saw Dow’s 2011 vintage port in first place, and two red table wines – Quinta do Vale Meâo 2011 and Chryseia 2011 – included in the top ten.
The rise of Portuguese wine
It is estimated that in the years following the 1999 Handover, Portuguese wine still accounted for more than half of wine imports into Macau.
Although that figure may have been dropping in the past few years, Macau is second only to Lisbon in terms of Portuguese wine offerings.
The breadth of Portuguese wine available is indeed astonishing.
The range includes all the “cult” wines such as Quinta do Vale Meâo and Dirk Niepoort’s Batuta from the Douro; wines from Luis Pato and his daughter Filipa in the Bairrada; silky smooth Syrah from Monte D’Oiro in the region of Lisboa; the Terras d’Alter range from Peter Bright in the Alentejo, and wines from visionary Vinho Verde producer, Soalheiro.
The continuing presence of Portuguese wine on the market is in part due to a government project, handled through the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), to ensure the sustainability of Portuguese and Macanese cuisines and Portuguese wine.
Wine importers and sommeliers in Macau note that within the contemporary tourism mix, the vast majority are mainland Chinese and within this demographic, (high) price is a main predictor of quality – particularly if the consumer has won big!
Portuguese culture in Macau
So prestigious French labels are king, and Portuguese wine thus tends to have a low presence in the casino environment.
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Exclusive to Macau and unique in Asia is its Portuguese wine culture.
Portuguese wine still enjoys a decent showing at less glitzy places and at less aspirational prices. There remains a preference for Portuguese wine among government officials and for banquets and weddings.
Tourists who want to taste something different that also offers great value for money should seek out Portuguese wine. The selection in Macau is unlike anywhere other city in Asia.
Almost all hotel bars serve Portuguese wine by the glass. However, for an authentic experience any of the city’s Portuguese-orientated restaurants is a great start.
Text Annabel Jackson / Photos Cammy Yiu
