Summary
Born in Paris to parents who had emigrated from Portugal due to political upheaval, Antonio began his professional life as an engineer in France, but returned regularly to the family home in the Dão following the change of regime. While in Paris, Antonio was exposed to fine wine culture and began to believe that the Dão could be a great candidate for making top wines due to the granitic soils, high elevations, and old vines of the region. In 2010, Antonio began making wine in the Serra da Estrela sub-region of the Dão and in particular near the village of Santa Marinha. Initially, he continued to live in Paris with his growing family and traveled to the Dão only for harvest, while his father-in-law managed the vineyards and winery during the rest of the year. Finally, in 2017, Antonio and his family decided to move to the Dão full-time.
Over time, Antonio has assembled an estate of 8 hectares with 20 separate plots of vines in 6 different villages within the Serra da Estrela sub-region. Of these 8ha, he owns 6ha outright, but also rents a total of 2ha where he oversees all the farming. In total, his parcels contain over 45 different indigenous varieties. He works all his parcels biodynamically and uses labor-intensive practices such as plowing his vineyards with horses, and in the cellar employs minimal intervention practices, natural yeast fermentation, and minimal sulfur additions at bottling.
It is important to note that the Dão is a vast appellation with a sea of industrial-scale wineries dominating the marketplace. Antonio Madeira stands out as a producer making small quantities of serious, high quality wines made in the best sub-zone of Serra da Estrela. We are excited to show the potential and the greatness of this amazing terroir and this talented and groundbreaking grower.
