Adega Viúva Gomes Collares Branco

Description

The wine region was officially demarcated in 1908, making it the second oldest demarcated area in the country. It sits on a dune belt along the coast of the municipality of Sintra, between the mountains and the Atlantic Ocean, stretching from Cabo da Roca to Magoito. The historical connection between Colares and wine is somewhat lost to time, but evidence shows that wine was already being produced there during the Roman occupation. Later, in 1230, King D. Afonso III granted lands to nobles on the condition that they cultivate vineyards. Colares gained renown at the end of the 19th century, specifically in 1865, when the greatest threat to global viticulture—phylloxera—devastated the region. This tiny insect, native to the Americas, arrived in Europe when sea voyages shortened thanks to the introduction of steam-powered ships. Remarkably, the vineyards of Colares were the only ones to survive phylloxera, thanks to their deeply rooted vines—sometimes up to eight meters deep—which prevented the pathogen from spreading as it did in other soils. Across Europe, except in this area, growers began grafting American rootstocks (resistant to the insect) onto European grape varieties. (Illustrative image)