We have officially extended our reach into Portugal. Our Iberian neighbors have been in our vantage point for quite some time now but we were waiting for the right moment or better said, the right producer. Well, we found him. His name is Antonio Madeira and he is the future of Portuguese wine. Boom!

Despite its enormous potential, Dao is a region that remains out of the limelight while destroying its heritage of old vines and native grape varieties. Antonio, who is French of Portuguese descent, has his roots in the foothills of Serra da Estrela and since 2010 has been combing this sub-region looking for just that or as he calls them, the Grand Crus of the Dao Highlands. He found a series of old vines that are distinctive because of the authenticity of their grape varieties along with the characteristics and nuances of their granite soils and sun exposures. It is in these highlands that Antonio believes lays the heart of Dão.

He’s farming organically and working with too many grape varieties to name. All of his wines are field blends and cofermented. He believes that if they were planted that way, it was for a reason. In the cellar, he’s as natural as it gets limiting additives to a minimum. When we tasted his wines at Simplesmente Vinho back in February, we knew he was the one. We bought every single cuvée available and took as much as he offered. Unfortunately it ain’t much!