Winery · Lisboa

Colares Sand Dune Wines

Name: Colares Sand Dune Wines
Address: Lisboa, PT

Only ungrafted Vitis vinifera in Europe. Ramisco vines survived phylloxera in 1880s in protective sand dunes. Now 23 hectares producing only 9,000 bottles per year.

What to do there

TourColares Sand Dune WinesWhen 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.

Wineries nearby

Winery · Lisbon Lisbon Wine Bar Hopping By the Wine, O Pif, Black Sheep—3 legendary Lisbon bars pouring Alentejo reds + Dão whites at €3-6/glass (€15+ bottles).