
Frequently asked questions.
What kind of wines do you produce?
At Vinha dos Padres we produce 3 types of premium wine; red, white and dessert.
How are your wines made?
Our 130+ year old vines, and their terrain, require our winemaking methods to be very artesanal, relying almost entirely on man power, rather than machines. After carefulyl harvesting the grapes, we ferment them inside old terracotta pots handmade between the 1910s and 1930s, using long lost traditional methods inherited from the Jesuit monks that first made wine here many centuries ago. With the help of world-renowned enologist Susana Esteban, our wines undergo different maceration and aging periods in the same old pots, after which, occasionally, some may age a little further in used oak barells, before completing a period of resting and aging in the bottle.
What kind of vines and grapes do you use?
Our vines have been tended to by known village ancestors since at least 1903, but are known to have been planted long before. We consinder the vines at Vinha dos Padres to be at least 130 years old. The older the vines get, the higher the quality of the grapes become (especially with increasing altitude - as is our case), but the less grapes they produce. Our vines consist of american roots, grafted exclusively with grape types autochthonous to the Serra de São Mamede natural park terroir firsts vinified by jesuits in 1605. The traditional artesanal methods of the time when these vines were grafted suggested that all different grapes must be co-planted (mixed, white and red grapes) to prevent or limit the spread of pests. Our vineyard has 17 known autochthonous white grapes, 10 known autochthonous red grapes, and at least 3 unknown grape types that do not exist on the national registry.
White grapes include; Alicante Branco, Arinto, Fernão Prires, Manteúdo, Moscatel Nunes, Síria, Trincadeira das Pratas, Malvasia Fina, Tamarez, Roupeiro, Chasselas, Antão Vaz, Clairette Mazel, Isabella, Arinto de Alcobaça, Arinto Galego and Assario.
Red grapes include; Alicante Bouschet, Aragonez, Grand Noir, Moreto, Touriga Franca, Trincadeira, Tinta Caiada, Bastardo, Corropio and Castelão.
Red and white grapes are harvested and fermented separately, each resepctively producing their distinct field blend.
Are your wines biological?
Yes. It is also minimum intervention, meaning we barely intervene in the natural ecosystem of the vineyard beyond the minimum vineyard maintenance care necessary.
Where are you located / what is your terroir?
We are located in the Serra de São Mamede national park, within the DOC Portalegrey denomination at the northern most part of the Alentejo region of Portugal. At 600m of altitude, our vineyard boasts quartzitic and granitic soils.
Do you accept wine tastings or visits?
Our new wine production cellar will be completed in early 2026. If you are interested in visiting the vineyard or tasting the wines, please get in touch via our Contact page.
Is it possible to purchase your wines?
Yes, private individuals may order small quantities of our wines directly from our online shop. If your country is not available as delivery destination, please get in touch via our Contact page.
Who distributes your wine in Portugal?
For the acquisition of Vinha dos Padres wines for restaurants, shops or hotels in Portugal, please get in touch with Alexandre and Gustavo from Altos Provadores.
Do you export to … ?
Maybe we do, maybe we don’t. Get in touch via our Contact page.