ABOUT US
My Story
I was born in Coimbra and was baptized a month later at Souropires. I grew up in Coimbra but my summers were spent in Souropires. My parents are both from Beira Alta (Sabugal and Souropires) and they had five children, with me being the oldest and the only one close to Souropires. We have always had more affinity for Souropires, where my maternal grandmother lived, in a family home that was rebuilt in the middle of the 19th century, following the French invasions. My grandchildren are at least the eighth generation in the same house. I studied at the Agricultural Regents School (in Coimbra and Santarém) and Medicine (in Coimbra and Lisbon). For two and a half years I have lived and practiced medicine in Norway. It was in Scandinavia that I woke up to the world of wine, especially with my Swedish friends.
When, by inheritance, the first vineyards came to my father, my brother João and I found it sad, and without any interest, to do viticulture with affection and then deliver the grapes to the cooperative. So, in 1994, I have produced my first red. A wine produced from recently planted vineyards and from old vines that existed in
Mortórios. From here I got a claret, fresh, not very easy to drink wine, but that even today is in shape. The brand was called "Rogenda".
Today I continue to look for the respect of viticulture and grapes and to make wines with minimum man intervention.
My Terroir
BEIRA INTERIOR
Pinhel
The landscape of Beira Interior is severe and unpopulated. The climate is demanding, with granite soils and high altitudes. The thermal amplitudes are profound, with freezing winters and very hot and dry summers. Our vinyards are in the sub-region of Pinhel and our wines are DOC Beira Interior. From the grapes of this terroir, I try to create wines that are the true expression of the best of the region. That is why we favor portuguese native grape varietals, such as Fonte Cal, Siria, Rufete, Baga, Touriga Nacional, among others, as they are the ones that best adapted to the characteristics of the region. But this terroir allowed me to creatively explore the adaptation of other varietals, some international. Varietals like Chardonnay or Riesling were able to surprise, due to the unique expression they revealed on this terroir, which is also unique.
Vineyards
The vineyards are spread over three plots: Rogenda, Mortório and Quinta do Vale do Ruivo, totaling approximately 16 hectares. About half of the area is made up of old vines, with over 60 years old.
Varietals
7 hectares of old vineyards, where native Portuguese grape varieties are traditionally mixed, with Baga and Rufete dominating for reds, Siria, Arinto and Fonte Cal for whites. We also have the no less important Alicante Bouschet, Touriga Franca, Chardonnay, Riesling, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Verdelho in the remaining hectares.
Terroir
Several characteristics contribute to a unique terroir, which gives distinctive qualities to Casas Altas' wines. The vineyards coexist with marshes, olive groves and woods. They stand at an altitude above 650 meters, on granite soils, with sun exposure from the east and southeast, with high temperature differences between day and night. The maturation is traditionally long.
Discover my wines
"When I create my wines, I look for the purity of the origins, without make-up. I seek the true expression of the land and the grapes. In complete respect for viticulture, for the grapes and for the nature, making the wines with the minimum of man intervention."
