Maçanita Vinhos

Having worked together in over 14 wineries around the country, they wanted the new project to reflect their experiences and aspirations: lots of laughter, lots of arguments and an ethos of questioning the existing way of doing things. Over the intervening years, Maçanita Vinhos have managed to encompass the diversity of the terroir of the Douro Valley in its purest and most faithful form. The wines of Maçanita express each facet of this spectacular landscape: the “high-altitude Douro”, the “hot schist Douro”, the “cold granite Douro” all through indigenous grape varieties from old vines and a non-interventionist approach.

Viticulture

The aim is to be less invasive and bring the essence of the Douro through to the bottle. Each of the wines is the result of a restless exploration plot by plot, to try to express a distinct language and personality from every corner of the Douro region. Vines are located in all its three sub-regions. Each of these sub-regions has its own characteristics. Depending on altitude and distance from the Douro River are schist as well as granite soils. Maçanita's vines are found at different altitudes in its different sub-regions.

Winemaking

In the cellar, Maçanita follows a low-intervention philosophy designed to preserve the vineyard’s voice. Fermentations typically use native yeasts, with careful observation rather than heavy control. Extraction is kept gentle to favour freshness, texture and tension over power. Oak, when used, is generally old or large-format and employed for structure rather than flavour. He is comfortable with elements such as salinity, slight volatility or wild aromatics, provided they contribute to balance and identity, resulting in wines that feel expressive, energetic and true to their origin.