Super Early
Deadline
December 20, 2024
Judging
Date
July 28, 2025
Winners
Announcement
August 12, 2025
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 winery recently won best wine from Portugal award at the 2020 USA Wine Ratings.
Born and raised on a wine and vineyard estate that many historians deem one of the longest established in the council of Alenquer and whose origins stretch back prior to the founding of the nation of Portugal - the Quinta de Porto Franco. It is from the excellence of this estate that José Neiva Correia, born in 1949 and one of the most productive winemakers in the country, sources much of the raw material put into producing the very best DFJ Vinhos wines. This was the company he launched over a decade ago and that has now reached an average annual production level of six million bottles, across 40 brands and 110 different wines deriving from all mainland Portuguese regions, from the Douro down to the Algarve, except the Vinhos Verdes region.
Descending from generations dedicated to the art of viniculture, both on his father's and his mother's sides, José Neiva Correia followed in his family's traditions not only out of preference but also with thorough professionalism. Those who know and work with him make regular mention of his creativity and the enthusiasm that goes into each of his many and sharply differing wines with their blend of improbable grape varieties and surprising results. Whether top of the range, high priced and produced in restricted quantities or in mass volumes designed to meet the needs of the major international markets, the demand for quality in the final product never wavers whatever the circumstances. His knowledge is extensive and underpins everything he does.
[Image: DFJ Vinhos wines Source: Facebook]
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