Haja Cortezia Alvarinho 2021

The Colares Wine Region was delimited in 1908, making it the second oldest demarcated region in the country. It is located in an area of dunes on the coast of the municipality of Sintra, between the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, from Cabo da Roca to the villages of Assafora and Cortesia. Colares' connection to wine is lost in time, but it is known that wine was already made in this region during the Roman occupation. Later, in 1230, King Afonso III gave land to nobles on the condition that they cultivate vines. The Colares region became famous at the end of the 19th century, more precisely in 1865, when its greatest threat, phylloxera, struck the world's viticulture.

Contrary to what happened throughout Europe, the vineyards of the Colares region resisted this tiny insect from the Americas, which devastated the majority of vineyards throughout Europe. In Colares, due to the depth of the roots, the insect didn't spread as it did in other types of soil.

Thus was born the story of Haja Cortezia wines, linked to the resilience and recovery of vineyards and grape varieties that had become extinct over the years.

The proximity to the sea and the surrounding climatic conditions make all the work in the vineyard more demanding, but it is also these factors that define the authenticity of the Terroir. This is how we came up with our slogan "Tradition and Soul by the Sea".

Their wines start on the land, in their own vineyards and end up in your glasses. All the wines are designed in the vineyards, what we call a "field blend" - old vines planted with a mixture of different grape varieties. This heterogeneity attributes different values and qualities to the final blend with the aim of obtaining a wine of superior quality. This is how they try to honour traditions, maintain the history of their terroir and at the same time give it the stamp of this new world.

In recent years, in addition to the old vines that they inherited from their family, they have kept one foot in their roots and planted Malvasia de Colares and Ramisco, on free-standing and sandy soils. The other foot is in the future. Following their ambition and conviction, they planted Alvarinho and Pinot Noir in clay-limestone soils.

The challenge continues daily, in the vineyards, in the winery and in the wine tourism they are developing. We invite you to come and discover their wines, vineyards and passion for the land by the sea.