Tiago farms about 8 different vineyards all located within a 5km radius of his winery. One the key points here is the high altitude, which differs from the rest of the Douro. He is not on the river but rather on a plateau at the top of the slope, between 550-700m. The cold nighttime temperatures slow down the ripening and help maintain a distinct acidity and freshness across the whole range. Another factor is the variety in the soils. Whereas most of the Douro is known for its slate/ schist soils, Tiago also has a bit of granite and varying amounts of clay in some parcels. Last, he has the advantage of having nearly 10 hectares of vines

that are over 80 years old. The complexity of old vineyards and the vibrancy of younger vines creates a perfect balance in the wines.

Vinification: Typical ‘ancestral’ method - the grapes are
whole bunch pressed, and fermentation kicks off in stainless steel. The wine is bottled in October at the right level of residual sugar and finishes its fermentation in the bottle which creates its natural bubbles. It’s then disgorged in January as these grapes tend to drop a lot of tartrates which can be problematic in sparkling wines (explosions at opening)