Quinta da Raza Raza Vinho Verde *

Quinta da Raza is owned and operated by Jose Diogo Teixeira Coelho, and his wife Mafalda Teixeira Coelho. Their 40 hectare estate is located in the small village of Peneireiros, which is in the Celorico de Basto sub-region of the Vinho Verde (DOC). The estate has been been in Jose Diogo’s family since the mid 1800’s, and up until Diogo's take-over in 1987, all the white grapes had previously been sold to the local cooperative, while their red wines were made on site. Diogo and Mafalda are very passionate about their estate, and they amongst the first in their region to start making their wines themselves.

One of the reasons the Raza wines are so special is because of where they are located. The Celorico de Basto has a total of 5,618 acres and is the most inland of all the Vinho Verde sub-regions. Like the rest of the Vinho Verde DOC the soils in Basto are granitic, but there is also clay and schist which is typically found in the neighboring Duoro region. The microclimate in Basto is created by the mountains in the west and the valley of the Tamega river which, unlike the other rivers of the region does not run from East to West, but from Northeast to Southwest, which together prevent from the Atlantic winds. Therefore, there is less rain and has a greater temperature range. This means that their vineyards are subject to more sun than some other areas in the Vinho Verde Region, which are important factors for the development of the vines. Moreover, the average altitude of Quinta da Raza is 250 meters, which corresponds to the best average altitude suited for growing grapes.The climate and soils allow the sub-region’s native grapes such as Azal, Padiero, and Vinhao to thrive.

Today Quinta da Raza is one of the very few independent wine producers in the Vinho Verde DOC. All their wines are made from only estate grapes, and farming practices are sustainable using natural and non-synthetic treatments, which is a difficult feat to achieve in a highly humid region. But, it's really this constant and careful vineyard management which sets Quinta da Raza apart from the larger estates in the region