A&D WINES

Vinho Verde, Baião

Having a several generations-long family tradition of farming in the Baião region, Alexandre Gomes inherited a connection to the land, the people and the farming activities that have fascinated him since an early age. In 1991 he began planting a new vineyard of about 5 hectares spread over a number of plots where native grape varieties of the region, Avesso, Arinto and Alvarinho, were planted. Having an already mature vineyard and aiming to raise awareness of the quality of the wines produced, Alexandre and his wife Dialina, started in 2005 the A&D Wines company. In 2015, A&D Wines decide to purchase Quinta de Santa Teresa, also in the Baião sub-region, comprising 33 ha vineyard, 5 ha of Casa do Arrabalde and 7 hectares of Quinta dos Espinhosos, for a total of 45 ha in predominantly granitic soils. The preservation of the eco-system (water biodiversity, human intervention) is a priority when the aim is to produce natural and terroir wines. A&D does not use synthetic products nor herbicides. They support local communities, from which they hire their workers. A&D is committed to sustainability, not only for the current generation, but being aware both of the legacy received from previous generations and of their responsibility towards the forthcoming ones.    

APHROS WINE

Vinho Verde, Refoios do Lima

Vasco Croft is one of the pioneers of biodynamic farming and wine making in Portugal.  Born in Lisbon with an inclination for metaphysics, Vasco thought of being an astrologer in his teens, then decided to become an architect. In his twenties he discovered Steiner’s philosophy, and went on to study pedagogy and sculpture in England, where he also discovered an interest in woodworking and furniture design. On his come back to Portugal, he led the Waldorf movement for many years alongside with his own furniture design company. In his thirties he had a life changing encounter with a Buddhist monk, where a bottle of wine was shared. This event, taken by Vasco as a personal meeting with Dionysus, led him in 2003 to start a wine project in Casal do Paço,  a semi-abandoned property belonging to his family since the 17th century. 

Quinta do Casal do Paço spreads over nearly 20 hectares of land and forests, four of which are vines and another four of chestnut orchards.  After the Colonial War and the Carnation Revolution in 1974, large cooperatives and huge private industrial companies began to emerge, dramatically altering the wine economy, including the farm’s.  It was from that point on that the entire production of grapes was sold to the nearest cooperative, leaving the cellar in the main house empty.  As the Quinta was now in the hands of several heirs, most of them living in Lisbon, it entered a sort of limbo. With works limited to a minimum of maintenance and grape production, it was mainly used as a vacation home by Vasco Croft’s relatives.  This went on for nearly 30 years, until the Aphros project was initiated in 2003, with the restoration of the cellar and the reactivating of wine production.

The rest of the property also underwent major restructuration, including water management, land shaping, replanting of vines and of chestnut orchards. A new team was put together, bringing together the necessary skills in farm management, viticulture and winemaking. In October of 2006, the first biodynamic preparations were put to the ground, marking the beginning of a direction that would transform both the farm and its wines.

Top 100 Wineries in the world of 2018 – Wine & Spirits Magazine

FILIPA PATO

Bairrada, Ois do Bairro

Filipa Pato and William Wouters are a magical wife and husband collaboration.  Their philosophy is simple: create authentic wines without make-up that express the true nature of the vineyards from which they come.  They focus on indigenous grapes only - Baga, Bical, Arinto, Cercial and Maria Gomes - creating soulful wines from vineyard sites with soils and micro-climates ideal for growing with biodynamic viticultural practices.  

Filipa Pato is a graduate of the University of Coimbra as a Chemical engineer refined her Winemaker skills doing harvests in Bordeaux, France; Mendoza, Argentina; Margaret River, Australia; and with her father Luis Pato, the Baga rebel. 

William Wouters comes from a restaurateur family from Antwerp, Belgium. He is a sommelier champion, restaurateur and former head chef of the Belgian national Soccer team on the World cup in Brazil and the European cup in France. 

“Amongst the wealth of indigenous grapes being embraced in Portugal over the last couple of decades, Baga is without a doubt my favourite child. Luís Pato was probably the first one to truly advocate for this grape and show its virtue. His wines are stunning, but I do believe that his daughter Filipa is taking it to the next level.  Behind her gorgeous wines are bush vines that are up to 130 years old, including some that are pre-Phylloxera, grown according to biodynamic principles. Baga, which is also often compared to Nebbiolo, can be brutish with excessive and harsh tannins. But not under the hand of Filipa. She is proving that in addition to being profound, with an irresistible aromatic profile, Baga can be elegant and display finesse. Her wines can be hard to find, but they’re worth the effort to seek out.” Michelle Bouffard (Quench Magazine)