Beiorte

Confident, yet modest. That’s Beiorte, a winery in Santa Ovaia (Alva, Dão). Their self-designed cork proudly reads ‘BEIORTE GIDO’, which in the local dialect would mean something like ‘good wine’. “I hope it is,” says winemaker João Costa.

About that local dialect: João told us an interesting story about it. It is linked to the past of the village, which was originally home to many stonemasons. In order to outwit their bosses, they developed a secret language, of which the current dialect, ‘Arguina’, is a remnant.

In the rugged granite landscape, the historic stone industry is not surprising. There is little viticulture due to the inhospitable nature of the land, which includes many mountains. At the same time, the climatic conditions in the region are formidable. The natural amphitheatres mean that temperatures remain stable. The cold months of August and September guarantee top quality grapes. This is one of the reasons why this region is known as the ‘Burgundy of Portugal’.

The challenging conditions in the region did not stop João and his wife Bea from moving into a wine cellar once built by João’s great-grandfather. From here, João’s great-grandfather once made wine for all the local taverns. João and Bea had a mission – to make handcrafted, pure wines that would breathe new life into the vineyards. Vineyards abandoned by their owners as they grew too old and left the hard work behind.

Today, João and Bea grow a dizzying array of local grape varieties – with equally dizzying names. More familiar names include Malvasia-Fina, Bical, Encruzado, Trincadeira and Touriga Nacional. But that’s not all.

Beiorte works without too much intervention, without adding sulphites, using only indigenous yeasts and without conditioning the fermentation process. João and Bea also prefer both stainless steel and wooden barrels. All to produce their characteristic wines, which are often considered the reference for the Dão wine region.