Colares Sand Dune Wines

Colares Sand Dune Wines

When phylloxera destroyed every major wine region in Europe between 1860 and 1890, Colares lost zero vines. The louse cannot survive in sand. Ramisco roots grow three meters deep through dunes to reach clay — planted by workers who hold reed walls to prevent cave-ins while someone else digs. The region once outsold Bordeaux in Brazil. King Manuel II gave it a 60-year monopoly in 1908. Today fewer than 20 hectares remain, squeezed by Sintra real estate. Viúva Gomes, founded 1808, was purchased in 1988 complete with thousands of bottles from 1922, 1931, and 1947 still in the cellar.