Vadio is a small family operation located in the village of Poutena in the Bairrada region, run by Luis Patrao, his girlfriend Eduarda Dias, and Luis's father Dinis. It is a small project, where one of the main goals is the recovery of Bairrada's traditional grape varieties and the production of authentic DOC Bairrada wines, using Baga, Cerceal, Bical and Arinto. There are two very distinct vineyard blocks and an old warehouse that has been adapted in a very simple manner for the production of wine. Our wines present a very classic style that intends to respect the authenticity of the region and the character of its grapes. We practice a viticulture that is based on sustainability through an integrated production approach, protecting the region’s biodiversity. We believe that through this process, we can concede a greater authenticity and character to our wines. We resort to family labor and occasionally to some local rural workers, enabling a better use and development of the region’s capabilities and resources.
JULIA KEMPER WINES
To produce a high quality wine implies an extensive knowledge, work, constant learning, and above all, dedication and a tremendous passion. This passion has been on our family, the Melo-Kemper family, for more than 400 years. Our ancestors values were passed down from generation to generation and therefore we have adopted organic farming, which they undoubtedly practiced. Like our forefathers, we believe in the respect for Earth and biodiversity, and we believe in the balance between nature and we don’t want to interfere in it.
With 15 hectares of estate vines, we are committed to the traditional varieties of the Dao region: Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Tinta-Roriz and Jaen for our red wines, and Encruzado, Malvasia Fina and Verdelho for our white wines.
QUEVEDO
Quevedo is part of a new generation of small family wineries based in the Douro Valley. For many years, these families were growing grapes, and making Port wine, for merchants based in Vila Nova de Gaia. But when Portugal joined the European Union in 1986, legislation changed to allow both grape growers and wineries in the Douro to export their wines directly to the retailer. And as a result of this new legislation, the family brand “Quevedo” was born.
We cultivate 100 ha of vineyards across six properties in the Douro valley, from the sub-regions of the Cima Corgo and the Douro Superior. The diversity of our vineyards provides grapes of varying aromas and flavors to help us craft our wine.
The single most important thing we learned from our ancestors was that the wine shall be made in the vineyard. It does not matter how good or how lucky you are working the grapes at the winery, if the origin of the grapes is not the best, then there is now way you will make the best wine.
Secondly, vineyards tend to be consistent in terms of quality, but there is not a single location that is always the best. So, make sure you have different locations to grow your grapes, not all in the same spot.
These two ideas help to explain why producers in the Douro need to grow grapes in different areas, at different altitudes and why they plant a large array of native grapes.
QUINTA DE COVELA
On the sinuous terraces of a natural amphitheater perched high above the right bank of the Douro river, Quinta de Covela has - for at least five centuries now - straddled the rugged terrain where two of Portugal's best-known wine-producing regions now meet. Downstream, rugged granite marks the landscape of the Vinho Verde region. Upriver, the hot, slate-layered earth is what gives Port wine its heart and soul.
With panoramic views over the river, the Covela estate covers 49 hectares, of which 18 are planted with vineyards that also mark the frontier between two typical villages of the lower Douro - São Tomé de Covelas and Santa Cruz do Douro, both recognized for their natural beauty and rich cultural heritage.
With an eye on keeping Quinta de Covela in the vanguard of wine trends and exploiting the estate's unique potential, a new experimental plot is currently being planted with a dozen or so varieties, mostly Portuguese and rarely known beyond our borders. In coming years, the results of such studies and experiments may well be transformed into new Covela wines or updated versions of some of our existing blends
The wines will continue to be intriguing assemblages of Portuguese and international grape varieties, with local Avesso and Touriga Nacional continuing to be the cornerstones for Covela blends. Arinto, Chardonnay, Viognier and Gewürztraminer complement Avesso in the whites, while Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Merlot Noir - the three main Bordeaux red grapes - blend with Touriga Nacional for reds of strong personality.
QUINTA DE GOMARIZ
Quinta de Gomariz lies in the region of Vale do Ave, the heart of Vinho Verde region, where its 17 hectares of vines possess excellent characteristics for the production of high quality wines, using only the native grape varieties of the region. Research and innovation are our main allies in the production of excellent quality wines, which have received national and international recognition year after year. Our cellar was built from the ground up, in order to house the “New Generation of Vinhos Verdes". The versatile and functional building, where the most modern technology is used, along with continuous research and innovation, produce wines with a unique and avant-garde profile.
REYNOLDS WINE GROWERS
Thomas Reynolds, an English seaman and merchant, arrived in Portugal in 1820, attracted by the potential of the wine trade. He settled in the northern town of Porto with his two sons, Thomas and Robert, and from there they supplied their London store with a variety of products from the Iberian Peninsula. In 1838, they became involve in the cork industry and set up a factory for the manufacture of cork stoppers in Alburquerque (Spain), where they lived for eleven years. It was a profitable business and soon new cork factories opened in Portugal and Spain.
The family returned to Portugal in 1850 and moved to Estremoz for a short time. However, Thomas and his son of the same name were not the settling kind: stirred by the same spirit of entrepreneurship, they set sail for New Zealand, a long voyage of 130 days, taking with them a large flock of merino sheep. They never returned to Portugal.
Robert, meanwhile, had remained in Estremoz to take care of the business and soon expanded it with the purchase of new land for the production of quality wine, an activity for which he was particularly passionate. The Alentejo soon became the resting place in Portugal of the Reynolds family and of Robert, the family patriarch. It was here that his first son, Robert Rafael, was born, who later had a son called Carlos. Carlos’s first child was a daughter whom he named Gloria – Gloria Reynolds. Current owner, Julian Reynolds, creates his wines in their honor, bestowing each wine with the name of his ancestors- Gloria, Carlos, Robert, and Julian.