Origin
& process
Port Wine is a unique product, the result of the will and stubbornness of the people, who tamed nature and sculpted the landscape, the result of the selflessness and capacity for suffering of those who gave everything, at the hands of the whims of the elements and the seasons.
It is the result of the accumulation of techniques and knowledge, passed down from generation to generation, improved over time and crystallized in the local culture.
At Porto dos Santos we embrace the Douro as a whole, in its diversity, complexity, generosity and roughness.
Porto dos Santos wines originate from various lands and locations spread across Baixo-Corgo, Cima-Corgo and the beginning of Douro-Superior, the three sub-regions into which the Douro Demarcated Region is divided.
What we look for in Porto dos Santos is the diversity that each location provides and the complexity that each piece of the mosaic can bring to the final blend.
Porto dos Santos and our network of local suppliers and partners use exclusively the grape varieties native to the region, whether they are a restricted set of grape varieties in more recent plantations, or a mixture of dozens of old autochthonous grape varieties, planted together in the older plantations.Â
For us, the emphasis is not on the aroma of specific grapes, but on the unique characteristics that each terroir, vineyard and provenance can bring to the final blend.
Our Ports are produced using techniques native to the region, techniques that have been perfected and improved generation after generation for the production of this unique wine that is Port Wine.
Our wines are fermented in open tanks, called lagares, where the various mixed varieties are macerated and co-fermented, in order to extract the maximum of all their aromas and complexity.
We ferment our Ports for a longer time, thus making them drier, more elegant and with more alcohol from the grapes.
It can be said that knowing how to age Port Wine and getting it to realize its full aromatic potential over the years is an art in itself. The amount of care and knowledge that a blender, a cooper or a cellarmaster has to dedicate to the wine is something worthy of praise as all the decisions taken in the process influence the final result.
Aged in large chestnut casks or in small casks. Aging the wine for several decades or bottling it new, these are some of the decisions that will be reflected in each glass of our Port Wine.
Our wines are aged in old Portuguese chestnut vats and casks, the wood traditionally used to age Port Wine, as it has little intrusive effect on the wine’s flavor and because it is an indigenous wood, widely available in the Douro Valley.
Our Wines
