Portugal Rising
4/5/19 -
Portugese wines are on the rise and we want to highlight some our favorites from this dynamic country! With young people returning to the country, and grandparents passing on their traditions to a new generation, there is really something of a renaissance brewing. Though most of the grape growers and farmers in the country have longstanding contracts with Port houses, or sell their grapes to cooperatives, many of them are finding new clients, who will pay more than the co-op for organically farmed grapes, or obscure local varieties that would have historically been torn out. Producers all around Portugal are becoming more conscious of regional styles and are starting projects to preserve local grapes and regional winemaking traditions. All in all, it's an exciting time for Portugese wines and we are happy to offer some new arrivals and tried-and-true classics.
Aphros is an estate in Casal do Paço, in the Vinho Verde region. The estate covers a total of 20 hectares, including four hectares of vines and another four of chestnut orchards. A firm believer in Biodynamics, owner Vasco Croft immediately began converting the estate after he arrived, and the ecosystem is now thriving, with wild horses, sheep, and bees (the vineyard manager, Alberto Araújo, tends to the beehives). There have been small additions of parcels over the years, as production has slowly increased, and all the vineyards are farmed Biodynamically.
Folias de Baco is an estate that was started in 2007 by Douro native, Tiago Sampaio. The vineyards are located in the Alto Douro, on soils of schist and granite. He is reviving old traditions by making fascinating field blends from indigenous varieties, and at the same time exploring his love for Pinot Noir, which he developed while studying winemaking in Oregon.
Mateus Nicolai de Almeida is from a winemaking family with a long and deep history in the Douro. He recently started a project called "Trans Douro Express,"with the goal of producing wines from each of the 3 sub-regions of the Douro: Baixo Corgo, Cima Corgo, and Douro Superior. Each sub-region is unique, due to the presence (or absence) of Atlantic and Mediterranean influences, soils, grape varieties and micro-climates, so the project is indeed ambitious!
Antonio Madeira is a young winemaker situated in the Dao, in the foothills of the Serra da Estrela mountain range (the highest mountain range in Portugal). He has spent a considerable amount of time hunting down old vineyards and works all of his parcels organically, with minimal additives in the cellar. His wines are all field blends, and usually cofermented, as each parcel has multiple varieties and Antonio feels that they were planted this way for a reason.
António Lopes Ribeiro and Sara Dionisio are the team behind the Casa de Mouraz, which is based in their native Dão region. Theirs was the first estate in the Dão to receive organic certification (in 2000), and the estate converted to biodynamic agriculture in 2006. I'll be writing more about them later this year, but with summer arriving, it seems appropriate to highlight a mineral white wine they make from organic vineyards in the Vinho Verde region, north of Dão.
Tiago Teles is a soft-spoken (and at times completely crazy) winemaker from Bairrada, where he has been pushing for less intervention in winemaking for many years now. His wines are typically field blends, and most vineyards are located about 15km from the Atlantic Ocean. Bairrada is one of the smaller wine regions in Portugal for quantity and reknown, but Tiago is helping to put them on the map!
Filipa Pato is the eldest daughter of the legendary Portugese winemaker, Luis Pato. Her mission is to make "authentic wines without makeup," and she has suceeded, with whites, reds and sparkling wines that are pure, balanced, and unadorned. Hailing from Bairrada, she focuses on local grapes like Baga and Bical, and has done a lot to promote them at home and abroad. Farming is organic, though not always certified.
Maria Joao Pato (aka Duckman) is the youngest daughter of Luis Pato, and though she works with Luis and will likely be involved in the future of the estate, she recently started a project called "Duckman," with a focus on making artisinal wines from only the local Bairrada grapes Baga, Bical, Cercial and Fernão Pires.
