Quinta Vale de Pios, Natural Wines in the Douro (Portugal)

Welcome to Quinta Vale de Pios! … ‘Pios’ means ‘bird song’ – a lovely name for a valley in the Upper Douro, situated not far from Barca d’Alva, in the heart of the Douro National Park, close to the Spanish border. In this region with its extreme climate, Joaquim Almeida cultivates his vines on exceptional terroir to produce wines naturally, without chemicals.

Biodiversity: the key to a unique ecosystem

The quality of the soil, the altitude of 200 metres, the wide temperature range and the watercourses foster a high level of biodiversity and explain why this ancient vineyard is situated here. The existing slopes lend themselves to vertical planting, which, combined with grass cover, helps to control erosion more effectively.

In this region, characterised by an extremely arid climate, sources of cool air are of paramount importance for the quality of the vines. The cool night-time temperatures balance out the heat of the day.

The vines at La Quinta Vale de Pios are mostly low-yielding indigenous varieties; they were planted before the phylloxera epidemic on soil consisting mainly of schist.

Winemaker Joaquim Almeida tells you all about it

“After hours of hard work studying military and geological maps and covering many dusty kilometres, we (finally) found the perfect site: the Vale de Pios farm. In the winery, we strive to combine the best of old traditions with modern practices. The old traditions include the use of mills for ‘crushing’ and the use of a thin layer of carbon dioxide for better extraction. These are combined with modern winemaking technology, such as extended fermentation in vats using temperature and pump-over control, which undoubtedly makes the finished wines less aggressive. Our wines are aged in new French oak barrels in a warehouse with thick stone walls that are able to regulate thermal inertia, ensuring optimal temperature and humidity conditions prior to bottling. The wines are aged until they are ready to be enjoyed; they are not released as soon as possible.” [Joaquim Almeida]

A few photos of Quinta Vale de Pios