Cortes de Cima Chamine Alentejano Tinto
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In 1988, A Danish-American couple set out in a sailboat to find a place to start a family and plant a vineyard. They came to Alentejo, and in a land of white varieties, they planted red. And so begins the story of Cortes de Cima Family Vineyards.... ‘Gazelle la Goelette’ was the sailboat’s name that brought Hans and Carrie Jorgensen on the final leg of a long journey from the other side of the world, across the Bay of Biscay and around Finisterre. In 1988 they docked in Portugal, and in the heart of Alentejo they found “Cortes de Cima.” It was just a barren land and a few abandoned buildings. But she, of Portuguese ancestry, said the landscape reminded her of California, her homeland. Hans, who was born in Denmark, fell in love with the Mediterranean sun. It was the perfect place to settle, start a family, and plant a vineyard. Vidigueira was a land of white varieties but they found the climate to be perfect for Syrah, a Rhone variety. Yet Syrah did not conform to appellation regulations. Hans and Carrie didn’t care. They had a dream. Bulding a DamThey started working the fields, and Hans, an engineer, built a dam. While the vineyard was growing, they planted sunflowers, tomatoes and melons to pay the bills. And their children were born - Thomas in 1991 and Anna in 1993. Finally, the first grapes arrived. In 1998, a unique Syrah from the Alentejo was born; bold, with a super balance and a sumptuous finish. But it hid a secret; the appellation rules wouldn’t allow them to call it Syrah. So they called it ‘Incognito’ and presented it to the world. ‘Incognito’ and Cortes de Cima became a success. And Syrah couldn’t be beyond the rules anymore.