Casa do Joa
Alto Trás-os-Montes
Ancient Pre-Phylloxera Vines in Portugal’s Most Extreme Wine Region
The Trás-os-Montes is on the very northern border of Portugal. If the Minho is the continuation of Rias Baixas across a political border, the Trás-os-Montes is the Portuguese rendition of Bierzo and Valdeorras: sun baked slate mountains that are cooled by their high elevation and the subtle remnants of Atlantic winds. And, in the same way, the region is now starting to be reborn as intrepid winemakers climb up into the mountains and rediscover incredible treasures: one of Europe’s great repositories of ancient, pre-phylloxera vines.
Casa do Joa is in the Alto Trás-os-Montes, in the village of Parada just a few kilometers south of Bragança. They work around 30 different plots which total 6 hectares of 150+ year old, pre-phylloxera, vineyards. The vineyards sit between 800-1000 meters in elevation, about as high as viticulture goes in Portugal. Joa has identified at least 20 different grape varieties in the vineyards, but a large percentage remain unknown. Everything is farmed organically and without irrigation, working to maintain the naturally complex ecology of the space.
In the winery, the name of the game is gentle macerations that extend through fermentation and long barrel aging for both the red and white wines. There are minimal sulfur additions, instead the wines rely on their phenolic quality and oxidative elevage to provide stability. Stylistically all the wines at Joa are defined by high aromatic intensity, and an ethereal texture that nevertheless delivers show stopping impact.
