History of Portuguese wine country unfavorable for viticulture, making the country a ready market for imported wines; its proximity to France, made French wines a natural source. At times the supply was threatened by political and military conflicts between the English and French crowns. New sources had to be found such as the wines of Portugal. Documents exist detailing Portuguese wine shipments from the Minho region to England occurring as early as the 12th century. These wines, including those from the wet northern region of modern-day Vinho Verde, were often light and astringent with noticeable acidity. Despite the new source, the variety of French
Bartholomew Broadbent him one of the “fifty most influential in the wine world…the faces to watch in the new millennium” in 1997. Wine & Spirits magazine named him one of ten in the world to be “driving the most revolutionary changes in wine” in 2008. His company Broadbent Selections Inc was nominated one of the top five wine importers by Wine Enthusiast magazine in 2005. He was made a Cavaleiro of the Confraria do Vinho do Porto in 1989 and is a past Director of Steven Spurrier’s L’Academie du Vin and a founder of L’Academie du Vin in Toronto. Broadbent produces, under