Quinta do Cardo
Vines at 750 metres on the granite above Castelo Rodrigo, among the highest in Portugal.
WineVistas imports Quinta do Cardo direct from the estate in Beira Interior and sells the wines to private clients and restaurants across the UK.
Meet Quinta do Cardo
The first vines went in here in 1932, on the edge of the Douro nature reserve near the mediaeval walled village of Castelo Rodrigo, right on the Spanish border. Its 79 hectares of vineyard sit on a granite plateau at 750 metres, among the highest vineyards in Portugal.
The name comes from the milk thistles that still grow on the property. It’s a beautiful place, still ruled by nature. Granite under red soil, vines between 25 and 90 years old, four natural springs, and a climate of hot days and cold mountain nights.
Since 2021 it has belonged to Artur Gama, with winemaking led by Jorge Rosa Santos and Rui Lopes.
The estate range runs from the Cardo Superior Organic Red and white the old-vine, single-vineyard Vinha do Pombal and Vinha do Lomedo.
Naturally Organic
Founded in 1932, Quinta do Cardo converted its vineyards to certified organic farming in 2009, the first producer in Portugal to do it at that scale, and the whole production has been certified since 2014.
The altitude does half the work. Dry air and cold nights mean the vines carry little disease, so farming without chemicals here is conviction and geography pulling in the same direction.
The Wines
Quinta do Cardo champions indigenous Portuguese varieties. The whites lead with Síria, the local grape of these highlands, from a vineyard planted over 50 years ago, with the rare Fonte Cal mixed in as a field blend. The reds run from Touriga Nacional and Tinta Roriz to old-vine Rufete. Cold nights at 750 metres hold the acidity, which is why everything here tastes fresher than most people expect from inland Portugal.
Why I import them
Beira Interior is usually overshadowed by Douro, its immediate neighbour. This, though, is exactly why the wines are worth finding: made with the same care and quality but from an unknown region. That’s where value lies.
Artur is another of my friends who is on his second career, and who has learned the value of building a business on good people. You can see that honesty in the landscape of Quinta do Cardo, and you can taste it in the wines.
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How buying works
Every wine on this page can be bought two ways. Duty paid, delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, with duty and VAT already included in the price. Or, for wine you are keeping rather than drinking now, in bond at London City Bond. The wine stays under temperature-controlled professional storage, and the duty and VAT fall due only when it comes out.
Allocations and small parcels go to the private client list before they reach the website. If you’re not sure which one suits, book a chat or drop a message via WhatsApp.
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