Colares is a wine region located in the municipality of Sintra, west of Lisbon, next to the Atlantic Ocean, close to the westernmost tip of continental Europe, Cabo da Roca.
DOC/PDO Colares wines have a controlled and protected designation of origin. It is one of the nine denominations of origin of the Lisbon region and historically very important.
This small region, of extreme singularity, with vines grown on sandy soil, has two varieties of its own: Ramisco and Malvasia de Colares.
Close to the sea, this region has a particular climate, with mild temperatures and high relative humidity, suffering the action of sea winds, sometimes very strong.
These conditions require the protection of the vines by means of shelters, traditionally made, in an artisanal way, in cane or in stone, resources that are natural in the region. In recent decades, other solutions have been found with industrially manufactured materials that make the construction of shelters easier.
The landscape is marked by this mill that several generations built, and helped to maintain, with the aim of defending the culture of vines in sandy soils by the sea.
Cultivation in sandy soil is very demanding, as it implies that the sand is removed until reaching the clayey soil, where the slack sticks that will create the roots of the vines are “nailed”.
It takes several years to replace the sand, mixed with manure, for the vines to come into full production.
The constant maintenance of the vines is essential, and it is necessary to raise your arms using “Pontes” and cover the bunches with leaves, in order to prevent the grapes from burning with the reflection of the sun on the sand.
The reference to the quality of wines from Lusitania, the western area of the Iberian Peninsula, dates back to antiquity.
In 1154, the charter granted to Sintra by D. Afonso Henriques mentions the cultivation of vines.
In the charters attributed to Colares by D. Afonso III, in May 1255, and by D. Manuel I, on 10 November 1516, there were incentives for planting vines.
Colares was the county seat between 1255 and 1855, the year in which it was integrated as a parish in the municipality of Sintra.
Over the centuries, the wines of this region have gained importance, but it was in the 19th century that they achieved greater prestige and became better known.
At the time, phylloxera had decimated the vineyards of Europe, also affecting, especially after 1865, most of the wine regions of Portugal.
Deeply affected, French wine production had been ruined, while the Colares vineyards managed to survive this insect pest (aphid) due to the high depth of their roots, protected by the sandy soil.
The Ramisco and Malvasia varieties from the Colares region, along with the Assyrtiko variety, from the volcanic island of Santorini, Greece, are two of the only three that survived phylloxera in the 19th century, which failed to reach its roots.
This ability of the Colares vineyards to survive contributed to the valorization and dissemination of the region’s wines, which were already highly appreciated.
Later, the problem of phylloxera in Europe was solved by crossing European and North American strains, immune to the insect.
At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, a large part of the cultivated area in the Colares region was occupied by ramisco grape vines, planted on sandy soil.
With the name of Collares, this wine region was demarcated in 1908 by a Letter of Law of 18 September, later regulated by the Decree of 25 May 1910.
Circumscribed to the parishes of Colares, São Martinho and São João das Lampas, the region encompasses the tertiary-era loose sand lands that lie on a clayey area from the Cretaceous period (145 to 65 million years ago).
It is in this soil that the vines create and develop their roots. It is here that the Colares Regional Wine is produced, whose uniqueness has long been recognized.
On August 15, 1931, the Adega Regional de Colares was founded to guarantee the quality and certify the origin of wines from the demarcated region of Colares, established by the Decree of May 25, 1910.
A few years later, Decree-Law No. 24,500, of 19 September 1934, established the area of the Colares wine region and defined measures to protect the production and marketing of wines.
The Adega Regional de Colares was solely responsible for the production of Colares wine and the supervision of its production process from vines grown on sandy soil.
The Decree also required the wines to have aged for at least two years to ensure their quality.
In 1994, Decree-Law no. 235/94, of 15 September, ended the functions attributed to the Adega Regional de Colares, of discipline and control of the production and trade of wines in the region.
And on the 29th of September of the same year, Decree-Law no. 246/94, of the 29th of September, approves the statutes of the Wine Regions of Bucelas, Carcavelos and Colares.
This Decree delimits the production area of Colares wines, identifies the indigenous grape varieties of the demarcated region – Ramisco and Malvasia de Colares –, emphasizes cultural practices associated with the cultivation of vines on sandy soil and defines a minimum stage for red wines (18 months in wooden bottle and 6 months in bottle) and for white wines (6 months in wooden bottle and 3 months in bottle).
They are wines of reduced production that need prolonged aging to reach their greatest potential.
The red wine is made with 80% of Ramisco grapes and 20% of other varieties, prevailing the Molar and João Santarém varieties.
The white wine is made with 80% of Malvasia de Colares grapes and 20% of other varieties.
Urban expansion and real estate pressure on the coast have contributed to the abandonment of sand-floored vineyards.
The specialized work, the expenses of maintaining the vineyards and the costs of producing the wines, as well as the frequency of adulteration of wines with grape varieties that do not come from a sandy soil, constitute strong threats to the continuity of the production of wines with the quality and specificity. that the region has been conquering over time.
Colares is a wine region located in the municipality of Sintra, west of Lisbon, next to the Atlantic Ocean, close to the westernmost tip of continental Europe, Cabo da Roca.
DOC/PDO Colares wines have a controlled and protected designation of origin. It is one of the nine denominations of origin of the Lisbon region and historically very important.
This small region, of extreme singularity, with vines grown on sandy soil, has two varieties of its own: Ramisco and Malvasia de Colares.
Close to the sea, this region has a particular climate, with mild temperatures and high relative humidity, suffering the action of sea winds, sometimes very strong.
These conditions require the protection of the vines by means of shelters, traditionally made, in an artisanal way, in cane or in stone, resources that are natural in the region. In recent decades, other solutions have been found with industrially manufactured materials that make the construction of shelters easier.
The landscape is marked by this mill that several generations built, and helped to maintain, with the aim of defending the culture of vines in sandy soils by the sea.
Cultivation in sandy soil is very demanding, as it implies that the sand is removed until reaching the clayey soil, where the slack sticks that will create the roots of the vines are “nailed”.
It takes several years to replace the sand, mixed with manure, for the vines to come into full production.
The constant maintenance of the vines is essential, and it is necessary to raise your arms using “Pontes” and cover the bunches with leaves, in order to prevent the grapes from burning with the reflection of the sun on the sand.
The reference to the quality of wines from Lusitania, the western area of the Iberian Peninsula, dates back to antiquity.
In 1154, the charter granted to Sintra by D. Afonso Henriques mentions the cultivation of vines.
In the charters attributed to Colares by D. Afonso III, in May 1255, and by D. Manuel I, on 10 November 1516, there were incentives for planting vines.
Colares was the county seat between 1255 and 1855, the year in which it was integrated as a parish in the municipality of Sintra.
Over the centuries, the wines of this region have gained importance, but it was in the 19th century that they achieved greater prestige and became better known.
At the time, phylloxera had decimated the vineyards of Europe, also affecting, especially after 1865, most of the wine regions of Portugal.
Deeply affected, French wine production had been ruined, while the Colares vineyards managed to survive this insect pest (aphid) due to the high depth of their roots, protected by the sandy soil.
The Ramisco and Malvasia varieties from the Colares region, along with the Assyrtiko variety, from the volcanic island of Santorini, Greece, are two of the only three that survived phylloxera in the 19th century, which failed to reach its roots.
This ability of the Colares vineyards to survive contributed to the valorization and dissemination of the region’s wines, which were already highly appreciated.
Later, the problem of phylloxera in Europe was solved by crossing European and North American strains, immune to the insect.
At the turn of the 19th to the 20th century, a large part of the cultivated area in the Colares region was occupied by ramisco grape vines, planted on sandy soil.
With the name of Collares, this wine region was demarcated in 1908 by a Letter of Law of 18 September, later regulated by the Decree of 25 May 1910.
Circumscribed to the parishes of Colares, São Martinho and São João das Lampas, the region encompasses the tertiary-era loose sand lands that lie on a clayey area from the Cretaceous period (145 to 65 million years ago).
It is in this soil that the vines create and develop their roots. It is here that the Colares Regional Wine is produced, whose uniqueness has long been recognized.
On August 15, 1931, the Adega Regional de Colares was founded to guarantee the quality and certify the origin of wines from the demarcated region of Colares, established by the Decree of May 25, 1910.
A few years later, Decree-Law No. 24,500, of 19 September 1934, established the area of the Colares wine region and defined measures to protect the production and marketing of wines.
The Adega Regional de Colares was solely responsible for the production of Colares wine and the supervision of its production process from vines grown on sandy soil.
The Decree also required the wines to have aged for at least two years to ensure their quality.
In 1994, Decree-Law no. 235/94, of 15 September, ended the functions attributed to the Adega Regional de Colares, of discipline and control of the production and trade of wines in the region.
And on the 29th of September of the same year, Decree-Law no. 246/94, of the 29th of September, approves the statutes of the Wine Regions of Bucelas, Carcavelos and Colares.
This Decree delimits the production area of Colares wines, identifies the indigenous grape varieties of the demarcated region – Ramisco and Malvasia de Colares –, emphasizes cultural practices associated with the cultivation of vines on sandy soil and defines a minimum stage for red wines (18 months in wooden bottle and 6 months in bottle) and for white wines (6 months in wooden bottle and 3 months in bottle).
They are wines of reduced production that need prolonged aging to reach their greatest potential.
The red wine is made with 80% of Ramisco grapes and 20% of other varieties, prevailing the Molar and João Santarém varieties.
The white wine is made with 80% of Malvasia de Colares grapes and 20% of other varieties.
Urban expansion and real estate pressure on the coast have contributed to the abandonment of sand-floored vineyards.
The specialized work, the expenses of maintaining the vineyards and the costs of producing the wines, as well as the frequency of adulteration of wines with grape varieties that do not come from a sandy soil, constitute strong threats to the continuity of the production of wines with the quality and specificity. that the region has been conquering over time.
These chestnut and mahogany wooden barrels had belonged to the Casa de Ludgero Gomes, in Almoçageme, and had later been delivered to Tirol. They came to Adega Beira Mar in exchange for wine.
These barrels belonged to the winery of António Bernardino da Silva Chitas, grandfather of Paulo da Silva. They were received by their father through shares between the heirs and the Society.
