On June 6th, the New Illustrated Map of the Douro will be previewed at Christie’s King Street and offered with a substantial collection of classic Port wines, including Noval Nacional, Noval Colheitas, Graham’s, Taylor’s and Fonseca. It is over 160 years since the groundbreaking publication of the acclaimed and highly regarded Douro Maps by Baron Joseph James Forrester. This original mid-19th century documentation of the best Douro Port wine Quintas was pioneering and vitally important, but as with the controversial 1855 classification in Bordeaux, much has changed and the modern Douro is now a very different place. Many once great Quintas have vanished, leaving barely a trace, while others have gained legendary status. To mark a fresh and exciting era in Portuguese winemaking, English artist and writer David Eley has created and published a fully illustrated three metre watercolour map to define the modern Douro of the 21st century with more than 125 illustrations depicting the leading Port and major single Quinta wine estates.This monumental wine map, officially endorsed by UNESCO World Heritage, has been published in two archival limited editions for framing and wall mounting: a full size ‘Quinta Edition’ pigment print and half size ‘Collector’s Edition’.
To mark the official launch of the UNESCO endorsed limited edition Douro Map in London, Christie’s is offering the framed ‘Number 1’ map together with a superb collection of iconic Vintage and Tawny Port wines, direct from the producer’s cellars in Vila Nova de Gaia – Noval Nacional, Noval Colheitas, Graham’s, Taylor’s and Fonseca. This is a unique opportunity to ‘acquire the Douro’ together with a collection of the greatest and most iconic wines of the region. With so many illustrations The New Illustrated Map of the Douro lends a pictorial narrative, helping to define the ‘geography’ of these elegant fortified wines and understand more of classic Port and the oldest demarcated wine region in the world. Vintage Port wine has not only witnessed history in the making, but Vintage Port is a tangible part of that history; from the Napoleonic wars to Wall Street, this silent omnipresent witness is a vinous treasure, something we should all cherish and fight to preserve.
At London Christie’s launch, on the evening of 5th June, a private Douro VIP dinner at the famous Dukes Hotel will be co-hosted by The Douro Map Company, Christie’s and Golden Estate Douro Valley. Chef Nigel Mendham will match his restaurant ‘Thirty Six’ cuisine with wines from legendary Quinta do Noval and Quinta da Romaneira. On the morning of the 6th June The New Illustrated Map of the Douro will be previewed at Christie’s King Street and offered with a substantial collection of classic Port wines, including Noval Nacional, Noval Colheitas, Graham’s, Taylor’s and Fonseca, all from very fine vintages.
(You can reach the writer at info@vitabella.fr)
