It is in Monção and Melgaço, on the northern edge of Portugal, that the Alvarinho grape is said to have been born and grown, even before any written record. With her, the producers who are dedicated to her were born and grew. Stoically, this grape variety came from the banks of the river Minho along the half slopes of the mountains, overcoming the opposition of terrain and altitude, proving the temper and resilience of the locals who placed great faith in the Alvarinho grape, until the recognized success of nowadays. This is the very short story of Alvarinho. But it could be the story of many of its producers who are dedicated to the Alvarinho variety. This is precisely the case of Quinta do Regueiro and Paulo Cerdeira Rodrigues.
Quinta do Regueiro is today one of the indisputable references of Alvarinho in Monção and Melgaço. It is one of the most awarded producers in the sub-region. In recent years, the Producer of the Year 2019 was awarded by Vinho Grandes Escolhas magazine, among other awards, for example, Quinta do Regueiro Barricas 2019, was distinguished as Best National White Wine 2019, also by Vinho Grandes Escolhas magazine.
With all these distinctions, don't think that it's a company with a long tradition, with a deep history, it's a producer celebrating only twenty-two years as a project. Paul has a gift, to see always more than what is really in sight.
Let's look at this example. In 2019, to mark its 20th anniversary, we launched a wine with ten years of aging in stainless steel and another two years in the bottle, which was born almost by accident in the winery. It was kept in a stainless vat and as it was not sold, it remained... until the wine from that vat helped to fill 1900 bottles, as soon as it reached the palates of specialists, it caused an instant furor and ended up being awarded as the Best National White Wine 2019, by the Magazine of Wines. This wine is called Quinta do Regueiro Jurassico. This is how, in a mixture of instinct and wisdom with great humility, Paulo Rodrigues innovates and nurtures a solid reputation and confidence in the quality he has. Who would remember a few years ago making a wine that combined wines from more than two vintages? And a white one? Well, it was Paulo Rodrigues and that is how he created the Jurassic range in which he joined four old vintages, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010, preserved only in stainless steel. This wine confirms the fantastic aging potential of wines made from the Alvarinho grape variety.
Quinta do Regueiro is, however, a family microenterprise of just four people. At the events they attend, we get to know Paulo's sister, his brother-in-law and other family members, proudly and lovingly exhibiting the fruit of their work. It all started in 1988 with the planting of the first vines by the family, a 0.3-hectare vineyard with only the Alvarinho variety, in the small town of Coto, in Melgaço. With what they harvested, they were learning, experimenting and also for their own consumption. With the older ones, Paulo learned to know the tricks of the vineyard. Learned from the vine. He soon realized that he had to be close to the vine, and that being in constant monitoring of the vineyard was essential. An authentic vigneron! This first vineyard is one of the company's jewels, the old vineyard from which comes one of its most iconic wines, Quinta do Regueiro Primitivo, "which since the first edition in 2013 until now has performed exceptionally".
And that is how, gradually in 1999, on the verge of the turn of the century, the year in which the Quinta do Regueiro brand was registered and the first harvest launched on the market. At 23, Paulo Cerdeira Rodrigues sees his dream of being a wine producer fulfilled. Later, in 2007, the company Quinta do Regueiro - Producer de Alvarinho Lda was created, which today gathers a total of 6 ha of vines (3 ha of own vines and 3 ha of leased vines), in small terraced parcels called "Socalcos".
The wines are characterized by sharp freshness, lively acidity and citrus, intense mineral impression, possessing an impressive capacity for storage/ageing.
And you can be sure that some surprise, something interesting, will come from Quinta do Regueiro, as every year around 1500 liters are stored and are aged for eight to ten years. As he says, "2019 was the golden year, but it's only just starting". His motto "Small Producer to Produce Giant Wines" could not be more accurate.
