Colares Burjacas Tinto

Description

The connection between Colares and wine fades over time, yet it is known that as far back as the Roman occupation the region was already producing wine. In 1230, King D. Afonso III granted lands to nobles on the condition that they develop viticulture. Colares really emerged in the late 19th century, specifically in 1865, when the phylloxera outbreak—a major threat to world winemaking—hit the area. This tiny insect, native to the Americas, began arriving alive in Europe once steamships cut travel times. Remarkably, the vineyards of Colares were the only ones to survive the pest entirely, thanks to roots that can reach up to eight metres deep, which prevented the spread that devastated other soils. Today, across Europe—except for the sands of Colares—vineyards rely on American rootstocks resistant to the insect, grafted onto European varieties.