Ricardo Moreira, José Roseira and Daniel Pires are the driving forces behind the minimal intervention hazy-looking wines.

I wrote about the winery here, if you’re curious. Four of the six wines are whites (Looper, Equalizer, Overdub Branco, Analogue), one is red (Overdub Tinto) and one is—well—orange (Reverb). The slightly fizzy Looper is a pét-nat, with name referencing the “loop” of a second fermentation in bottle. Equalizer is a white blend, fresh but structured, aged in cement without stirring, Overdub—an old-vine field blend, layered like its recording-studio namesake. Analogue — a blend of Arinto, Avesso, and Fernão Pires (the latter two are cofermented). Reverb — a skin-contact white kept six months on skins and stems. Reds are rarer but striking: old-vine Castelão and Vinhão, a reminder that this pocket of the Tâmega is more borderland than stereotype, straddling the Douro and Vinho Verde. Annual output is about 15,000 bottles—tiny by commercial standards, but enough to establish a clear identity.

The amount of sediment could be an issue for some, especially as bottle is finishing. In this style varietal character is toned down due to maceration and cofermentation of grapes. Yet, Ricardo shows his non-interventionist soul here: “The problem of harvest is probably one of the most important decisions of the year. Well, if you don’t correct it in the wine. If you correct it in the wine, you can do whatever you want. But here, no—we decide in the vineyard.”

Looper 2023

A balanced, refreshing pét-nat of mostly Arinto and Fernão Pires. Super friendly unfiltered juice at 12.5%, technically from Vinho Verde region, bordering Douro in the village of Livração. Apples & grapefruit zest. On the oxidative side—nutty, yeasty. Voluminous because of hazy sediment–which I love here.

Analogue 2023

Wine with maceration offers freshness and big fruit, with notes of lychee and tropical fruit. Very thirst-quenching! Arinto, Avesso, and Fernão Pires. Easy, floral. I remember what Ricardo said: “The biggest challenge here is balancing the richness of the grapes. Especially Avesso, because it’s very powerful, very sweet on the mouth. It needs acidity but also needs body to cope with it. If you only have acidity you end up with a very sweet and acid wine that you have to drink very chilled, otherwise you don’t drink it. But if you have body and acidity and richness, you can drink it like this—it doesn’t need to be cold.”

Overdub Branco 2023

Nice soft orange made with Arinto and Azal with eight days of maceration in lagar. The wine’s name says a lot: “Overdub is old vines, a layer on top of the other,”— explains Daniel Pires. To me it “sounds” intense, with deep taste and fuller body, a bit sweeter on the palate, with orange peel, honey, white flowers, and extremely light tannin. A real crowd pleaser.

Equalizer 2023

Arinto and Loureiro in macerated style cofermented in a cement tank. Appley, cidery, quite fresh when cooled down. This one doesn’t like being warm and exposed. Drink fast!

Reverb 2023

Yellow and green macerated apple, thick, unfiltered made with Avesso spiced up with Castelão stalks. Initial three-day maceration and foot-trodding. It then macerates in a stainless steel tank for six months, in contact with the grapes’ skin and the stalks from the Quinta’s red wine.

Overdub Tinto 2023

The only red in the line-up—and I’m loving it. It’s a fruity, lively Castelão grape, a very easygoing and chill wine. Gamay-ish, I’d say, with no signs of snobbery. Granite lagares for 8 days, then it goes on in concrete. Stonefruit dominant; some say it’s funky, I personally don’t find that.