Women in Wine
Julia Kemper (Portugal)
Source: juliakemperwines.com
"Growing vines was not a chosen destiny."
"I refused the inheritance of the vineyards for several years!"
Why Me?
In 2000, Julia Melo Kemper was a successful lawyer in Lisbon. And she was a passionate lover of the urban city life.
"Why me?" She asked, when her father, António Melo, called her on the telephone, and asked her to take over the Melo family wine farm in Dão.
She was very surprised to be chosen. It had always been men running the farm.
When Julia grew up, she never visited the wine cellar to study the wine production. The family typically made wine for family and friends, and it was not the farm's main business.
Then three years later, in 2003, Julia finally accepted the challenge:
"I started one of the most beautiful experiences that I think one can have. The experience of agriculture has been intensified by the fact that I have opted for organic and biodynamic agriculture. Our vineyards have become meadows where all forms of life take place, to help me produce the best and healthiest grapes for our wine."
Since the beginning (vintage 2008) Julia Kemper's wines have received many awards.
At first, she won several Portuguese wine distinctions.
Then, after national and international press spread the news of a new Dão wine, the wines began to sell internationally.
Today, Julia Kemper wines are sold all over the planet, using only noble grapes from the region:
Red: Touriga-Nacional, Alfrocheiro Preto, Tinta Roriz, and Jaen.
White: Encruzado, Malvasia-Fina, and Verdelho.
Awards
Julia Kemper White 2016
Gold Medal – SAKURA Japan Women’s Wine Awards 2018
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate – 90 points
Julia Kemper Reserve White 2015
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate – 93 points
Julia Kemper Reserve Red 2011
Prémio Escolha da Imprensa (Press Choice Award) – Magazine Grandes Escolhas
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate – 93+ points
Julia Kemper Reserve Red 2010
Gold Medal – MundusVini Summer Tasting
Julia Kemper Touriga Nacional 2012
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate – 92 points
Julia Kemper Touriga Nacional 2010
Gold Medal – International Wine Challenge – IWC
Gold Medal – MundusVini Biofach 2014
Julia Kemper Curiosity Branco 2013
Robert Parker – The Wine Advocate – 92 points
Julia Kemper Vinhas Selecionadas 2012
Top Gold Medal – International Organic Wine Award
JK Elpenor Red 2011
Gold Medal – MundusVini Biofach 2016
Gold Medal – SAKURA Japan Women’s Wine Awards 2018
JK Elpenor Reserve Red 2014
Gold Medal – International Organic Wine Award.
Julia Kemper Touriga Nacional 2009
Bronze by IWSC - International Wine & Spirits Competition 2012
Julia Kemper White 2010
Bronze Medal in "First International Competition Wines for Fish" Italy 2012
Julia Kemper Touriga Nacional 2009
Gold Medal by CVR Dão in "Os Melhores Vinhos do Dão no Produtor" 2011
Julia Kemper White 2010
Silver Medal by CVR Dão in "Os Melhores Vinhos do Dão no Produtor" 2011
Julia Kemper White 2010
Silver Medal by the International Organic Wine Award 2011
Julia Kemper Red 2008
Silver Medal by the International Organic Wine Award 2011
Julia Kemper Red 2008
Silver Medal by X Concurso Internacional "La Selezione Del Sindaco" Italy
Julia Kemper White 2009
Gold Medal by MundusVini – Biofach 2011 in Germany
Julia Kemper White 2008
Silver Medal by MundusVini – Biofach 2010 in Germany
Julia Kemper White 2008
Merit Diploma by Concurso Nacional de Vinhos Engarrafados
(National Contest of Bottled Wines in Portugal)