Aphros Wine

Aphros Wine began in 2003, when Vasco Croft started a wine project at Casal do Paço. The property had been semi-abandoned and has belonged to his family since the 17th century. Vasco is a pioneer of biodynamic farming and winemaking in Portugal. For him the winery is a place where art, spirituality and nature meet, and where a community can form around the work. The estate lies in the Lima Valley, near the old town of Ponte de Lima, in the Vinho Verde region. Aphros was among the first certified biodynamic estates in Portugal. The vines share the land with forests, orchards, cover crops and wildlife. Loureiro is the main white grape, and the Vinhão grape gives the red wines. The wines are made in two cellars. The new cellar is a contemporary building with natural concrete walls, four different facades and a multi-angled roof. The medieval cellar sits in the original building of the old quinta. There the wines are made by hand, with fermentation in amphora and without electric equipment. The range includes whites such as Aphros Loureiro and Daphne, reds such as Ouranos, Silenus and Vinhão, and sparkling wines. Phaunus Pet Nat comes in white and rosé versions. The team brings together several kinds of experience. Miguel Viseu, an agronomist trained in winemaking, leads the cellar. Tiago Sampaio, a winemaker from the Douro with a PhD from Oregon, works with the project as a consultant. Dominique Massenot, a reference for biodynamic viticulture, and João Garrido, who directed the Amândio Galhano experimental station for decades, add viticultural knowledge. João Cacho brings the know-how of Minho's traditional farming. The harvest is a communal event. The last bunches pass from hand to hand on the way to the cellar, and the harvest party follows. Visitors can book guided visits and tastings. The estate also has a wine garden and a wine tourism service, and the wines are exported to several countries.