The Vineyards
The mostly terraced vineyards are on the steep slopes of the valleys that surround the dwelling houses and the winery facilities, at an average height of 300/400 metres. They enjoy a mainly schistose soil, which allows permeation and retains humidity, and an excellent solar exposition, variable with the diverse orientation of the slopes, from the sunrise to the sunset.
The vineyard area comprises 15 ha of “new” terraced vineyards and 3,8 ha of old traditional vineyard, whose farming is completely done by hand. In the new vineyards, organised in sections, the following typical indigenous grape varieties in Douro are grown: Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional,Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cão, Tinta Amarela, e Sousão for the red wines. In the old vineyard, there is a big diversity of old native varieties, aged more than 80 years, which provide the blends with a wonderful complexity of flavour and aroma. We also grow indigenous grape varieties for the white wines such as Fernão Pires, Malvasia Fina, Gouveio, Cerceal, Rabigato, Códega and also Códega de Larinho.
Being a winegrower in the Douro region has never been an easy job. The physical and climatic natural conditions go on demanding a lot of hard work, mainly done by hand, like pruning, digging, harvesting, etc... Yes, being a winegrower in Douro is a big challenge that requires strength of character, a good heart and a lot of persistence. Also this is, not to be disregarded, a distinctive feature that places the region and its wines at a different level of quality and respect.