Quinta do Casal do Paço
“A place of power”. Such were the words used by a smiling German visitor, who allowed himself to lag behind his group on the way to the bus, in order to enjoy some moments of quiet intimacy with the Quinta.
Casal do Paço, in Vasco Croft’s since the 17th century, has the soul of an old Quinta, and was the starting point of Aphros project. It spreads over nearly 20 hectares of land and forests, six of which are vineyards and four of chestnuts orchards. At its centre stands a granite 16th century 2-storey manor house complete with chapel. The wine cellar on the first floor dates back to the origin of the house.
In October of 2006, the first biodynamic process was implemented marking the beginnings of something that would transform both the farm and its wines.
Casal do Paço is now recognized as a model ecological winery committed to the preservation of its ecosystems that not only include the vines but entire forests of acacias, oaks, eucalyptus and century-old trees, the home of wild boars, foxes and eagles.
Varieties planted:
Loureiro – 2,3 ha
Arinto – 0,5 ha
Vinhão – 0,7 ha
Alvarelhão – 0,8 ha
Quinta do Espadanal
Quinta do Espadanal is only a few metres away from Casal do Paço, from which it has been separated by a public road. In fact, although the 2 Quintas formed a unity for centuries, each has an individuality of its own.
Espadanal is set in an isolated site, higher towards the mountains, and is completely surrounded by forests, making it a terroir on its own. It is also a very old Quinta, as testified by the existing remains of a pre-roman site and by the ruins of a very old traditional rural house (16th century). Fully restructured in 2007, it has only 1,5 ha of vines (Loureiro), 3 HA of chestnut orchards, and around 2 ha of forest.
Varieties planted:
Loureiro – 1,2 ha
Sauvignon Blanc – 0,3 ha
Quinta da Casa Nova
Located in the neighbouring parish of Refoios, near Ponte de Lima, Casa Nova is a Quinta we have decided to buy when it became clear we needed to increase our production to achieve the sufficient critic mass for a self sustained operation. It is a beautiful southfacing and gently sloping property, with around 7Ha of vines in only 2 plots, having a group of granite houses at its centre, around a central patio covered by vines. This property was fully restructured in 2009, with all the vines being replanted according to biodynamic principles.
Varieties planted:
Loureiro – 5 ha
Moínho vines
Moínho is a 2ha plot below the road of Casa Nova, which was acquired later in order to enlarge the area Vinhão.The soils are the same as in Casa Nova, granitic, but much more heterogeneous. A part has a shallow area of soil, the mother rock almost showing on the surface, another is very rich in organic matter. Part of these 8 year oldvines are being converted to Alvarelhão with the method of over grafting.
Varieties planted:
Vinhão – 1 ha
Alvarelhão – 1 ha.
Quinta de Valflores
Valflores Quinta is located right above Casa Nova, and belongs to the Bossert family, from Oregon, USA, with which there is an agreement to a long term lease. With 3 Ha of existing vines, planted in 1992, this property was restructured after the replantation of Quinta da Casa Nova in 2009. The old vines were recovered, and 2,5 Ha of new vines planted.
There is the curiosity that the parents of the actual owners were friends of the famous Oregon Pinot Noir producer David Lett, who once came to visit them bringing a few shoots of his vines. They are still there, scattered among the Loureiro. In order to preserve such an unusual circumstance in the story of this Quinta, we have decided to plant 0,5 Ha of Pinot, using shoots of the existing vines.
Varieties planted:
Loureiro – 5,0 ha
Pinot Noir – 0,5 ha
