WINES OF TEJO Defined by a river.
Refined by tradition.
! WinesOfTejo.com
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Portugal’sHistoricTejoRegionCelebrates“FelizNatal”withHolidayTraditionsandAuthenticWines
--DefinedbyaRiver.RefinedbyTradition--(New York, NY, December 18, 2015) – As Americans prepare to enjoy Christmas and New Yearcelebrations, in Tejo, locals also are in themidst of holiday preparations. Located in the very heart ofPortugalalongthebanksofthefamedTejoRiverandjustashortdrivefromLisbon,warmwithhospitality,friends and family take pleasure in time-honored Christmas traditions that include specialty Christmasfoodsandvibrantwinesproducedbysomeoftheoldest,continuouslyoperationalwineestatesinEurope.Pulsing with a rich heritage, Tejo today claims a bounty of historical treasures from Roman ruins andGothiccastles,toManuelinemonasteriesandmedievalhilltopvillages.InPortugal,Tejoisknownastheland of vineyards, olive groves, cork forests and the famous Lusitano “dancing” horses. Excellent,affordablewinesandcompellingtraditionsensureappealing,authenticholidayvacationexperiences.During theholidays,andespeciallyonChristmasEve, familiesandvisitorsalikeareawedby impressivenativity scenes decorating shops and clubs, and often gather around decorative Christmas trees andcrèches.Many attendmidnightMass (“Missa doGalo”) followedby a typical supper (“Ceia deNatal”).ChristmasEvesupper (“Consoada”) includes salt cod (bacalhau)withboiledpotatoesandcabbage,andtraditional fried desserts (“filhoses” or “filhós”)made of fried pumpkin dough; “rabanadas” (similar toFrenchtoast);“azevias”(roundcakesfilledwithchickpeas,sugarandorangepeel;andthehighlypopular“BoloRei” (KingCake)–a fruit cakeofbriochepastrywithportwine, filledand toppedwithdriedandcrystallizedfruit--nowservedbothatNewYearsandduringtheChristmasholiday.Withinthecakearetwo surprises: a small gift, or a rawbean;whoever receives thebean is responsible forpurchasing the“BoloRei”inthecomingyear.GiftsbroughtbyFatherChristmas(“PaiNatal”)areopenedeitheratMidnightonChristmasEve,orelsethe morning of Christmas Day, with some families placing a shoe of each child next to the chimney(instead of a stocking). Stuffed turkey is now often served as the preferred main dish, followed withtraditional desserts on Christmas Day. Holiday lights, nativity scenes and Christmas trees decorate thetownsandvillagesof thepicturesqueTejoregion,with festivitiescontinuinguntil January6, theDayofKings(“DiadeReis”).AccompanyingthetraditionalholidayfoodsofTejoaretheregion’smanywinesthatofferadiversearrayofstylesappealingtoalltastes--highlyaffordable,authenticredsandwhites,withafocusonqualityandbalance.Tejo’snativeredgrapesincludetheboldTourigaNacional–Portugal’smostfamousvarietal–aswellasTrincadeira,CastelãoandAragonez.ThearomaticFernãoPiresandthelivelyArintoproducesomeof the region’smost refreshingwhitewines. These indigenous grapes thrive in the Tejo region’swarmclimateandcomplexsoilstoproducebalancedwineswithbrightfruitcharacteristics.Comissão Vitivinícola Regional do Tejo (CVR Tejo), known in the United States asWines of Tejo, is anorganizationthatoverseestheviticulturalandvinificationpracticesofover80producersfromtheregion.Nestled intheheartofPortugalalongthebanksoftheTejoRiver,whichstretchesfromjustbeyondtheSpanishbordertotheAtlanticOceanatLisbon,theTejoregionhasbeenproducingwinesfromnative
WINES OF TEJO Defined by a river.
Refined by tradition.
! WinesOfTejo.com
" # $ /WinesOfTejo
PortuguesevarietalssincetheMiddleAges.TheTejoRiver’sbreadthandstrengthelementallyimpactthesoilandclimateof theregion,deeplydefiningtheregion’s terroir.Thesewinesembodytheenthusiasm,commitment and collaborative nature of its producers, and reflect the unique terroir and winemakingheritageoftheTejoregion.
###MediaContacts TradeContactsJoanBrower/JanetBartucci JuliePeterson/AllisonSluteTheDilenschneiderGroup,Inc. TejoRegionalWineCommission-USOfficeChryslerBuilding,405LexingtonAve. 1025ThomasJeffersonSt.NW,Suite420ENewYork,NY10174 Washington,DC20007Tel:212-922-0900;Fax:212-922-0971 Tel:[email protected] [email protected]**MEDIAINTERESTEDINRECEIVINGWINESAMPLESFOREDITORIALREVIEW,[email protected]