2/6/26 - 

For many, the wines of Lisbon conjure something breezy and coastal: light, salty whites, easy reds, a sense of Atlantic refreshment. But just west of the city, tucked into a landscape shaped as much by resistance as by proximity to the ocean, is Colares: one of Portugal’s most idiosyncratic and increasingly fragile wine regions.
 
Colares has never made things easy for winemakers. Sandy soils, own-rooted vines, low yields, and a climate that tests patience have all conspired to keep production small and the wines misunderstood. Over the years, vineyard land has disappeared into the facade of urban sprawl, and production has dwindled. Now, Colares feels less like a neatly organized appellation and more like a set of values: persistence, intensity, and a refusal to smooth out the edges. If you know any of the key-facts about Colares, then the power, intensity, and beauty of the wines should come as no surprise: it is continental Europe's westernmost winemaking region, the smallest in Portugal, and its sandy soils famously deterred the invasion of phylloxera in the 19th century, keeping alive vines which produce magical fruit to this day. 
 
This week’s Lisbon-themed release is not an attempt to be exhaustive. Instead, it’s a snapshot of where the greater regions' wines are right now, seen through three producers we believe are essential: Casal do Ramilo, Viuva Gomes Viticultores, and Familia Rosa Santos. Together, they tell a story of inheritance, reinvention, land and sea.

Casal do Ramilo isn’t quite Colares, and that’s precisely the point. The estate sits just over the ridge-line separating it from the Atlantic’s full force, in a pocket of limestone hills between Mafra and Sintra. It’s a place with very few neighbors (there's just one other small winemaker nearby) and it feels as though its regional identity is derived from this confluence of its surroundings, including the city itself. What Ramilo produces here is less about Portugal as a whole and more about one very specific hillside that happens to be their backyard.
A small creek runs along the base of that slope, pulling cool air and moisture through the vines. The effect is subtle but constant, allowing for long growing seasons and, later, remarkably slow fermentations. Total production hovers around 30,000 bottles, and every decision here feels shaped by scale and attention rather than ambition.
Importantly, Ramilo’s relationship with Colares itself is personal. Their Colares wines come from an old parcel, belonging to Nuno’s grandmother, that was replanted years ago. These are not “heritage wines” made for effect; they are simply the continuation of something that never quite stopped.
In recent years, Ramilo has committed fully to indigenous varieties. Merlot and Syrah once had a foothold here, but a chance encounter with a nearby vine nursery changed the trajectory of the estate. Those international grapes were traded out in favor of Viosinho, Aragonez, and other local varieties; choices that speak less to fashion and more to alignment.
In the cellar, tradition and patience rule. Fermentations are spontaneous and unhurried, carried out in an old stone lagar that keeps the must cool overnight and allows for extended macerations. In 2025, some fermentations stretched close to two months—durations that would terrify most modern cellars, but which here result in wines of clarity and quiet depth.
The Nativas Red is emblematic of this approach: no oak, no embellishment, just stainless steel and time. It’s a wine that feels resolutely unpolished in the best sense; it's textural, generous, and deeply tied to place.
Alongside it, we’re offering the newest releases of Malvasia de Colares and Ramisco, wines that bridge Ramilo’s individual estate identity with the broader tradition of Colares itself.

If Ramilo represents a kind of geographic and philosophical edge to Colares, the Baeta family of Viuva Gomes can be considered the spine. Founded in 1808, very few wineries can claim to be as central to Colares’ continued existence. Their cellars hold decades of history, and their wines serve as a reference point for what Ramisco and Malvasia de Colares can be when patience is afforded.
They currently farm roughly 5 hectares of vines organically and source the rest of their fruit from the local co-op. While 5 hectares is by no means an enormous winemaking operation, father and son Jose and Diogo Baeta get a lot more out of those plantings than your average winemaker. Along with the classic Colares D.O.C wines, Diogo has in recent years spearheaded the rollout of the Pirata da Viuva project, which has pursued the production of great wines from the wide variety of non-sandy soils (including clay and limestone) in the region. While the Colares wines are profound and naturally different given their niche terroir, the 2022 Tinto and Pirata Castelao showcase the broader region of Lisbon as unique in more ways than one. 
The Pirata Castelao may be thought of as a side-project, but is still ultimately consistent with the house style: bright acidity and freshness that is simultaneously coastal and verdant. It features darker fruit and gaminess, but with a cool minerality and light, energetic mouthfeel.
The Viticultores Tinto serves as a nice introduction to the lineup, with Ramisco, Touriga Nacional, Molar, Castelao, and Tinta Miuda all featuring in the blend. After wild fermentation in stainless-steel, the wine is aged 10 months in chestnut and mahogany barrels. As someone who cooks plenty of tomato-based dishes, this wine has complimented plenty of my home dinners quite nicely. For a cherry on top, we have included in today's offer extremely limited quantities of D.O.C Colares Ramisco from 1967, sourced directly from their importer (NLC Wines). 

Last but not least is Familia Rosa Santos' 2015 Malvasia de Colares. With only 300 bottles produced, it is a wine we believe is important to offer. In a region where so much has already been lost, wines like this serve as living documents; proof that these traditions are not theoretical and not yet gone. For collectors, for long-term thinkers, or for anyone who has ever wondered what Colares can achieve at its highest level, this bottle answers the question with honesty and elegance.

Colares has always existed at the margins, but the margins are shrinking. Between luxury real-estate and climate-change, vineyard land is under pressure in more ways than one. That is exactly why they matter. At Chambers Street Wines, our goal isn’t just to follow regions and producers as they become fashionable, but to stay engaged with places and people that demand attention before the window closes. These Lisbon-area releases, the dialogue between the Colares wines and the new projects, represent a moment where tradition, experimentation, and continuity are overlapping.
They are not loud wines. They do not explain themselves quickly, but they reward curiosity and patience. Grab them while you can!

-Nick Douglas

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