2022 Viúva Gomes Pirata Castelão red

The Wine Region was demarcated in 1908, thus being the second oldest demarcated region in the country. Located in an area of dunes, on the coast of the municipality of Sintra, between the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, from Cabo da Roca to Magoito. The link between Colares and wine has been lost in time, but it is known that during the Roman occupation wine was already being made in this region. Later, in 1230, King Afonso III gave land to the nobles on the condition that they would cultivate vines. The Colares region became famous at the end of the 19th century, more precisely in 1865, when its greatest threat, phylloxera, struck world viticulture. This tiny insect, originating from the Americas, began to arrive alive in Europe when the length of journeys was reduced due to the introduction of steam engines on boats.

Curiously, the vines in the Colares region were the only ones that resisted phylloxera, due to the depth of the roots, sometimes 8 metres deep, not allowing the microbe to spread as it did in other types of soil. Throughout Europe, except in this region, American plants (resistant to the insect) began to be used, grafted with European varieties.

(image is for illustrative purposes)