Quinta de Santiago

Quinta de Santiago has been in the Santiago family since 1899, farming the alluvial terraces of Monção & Melgaço - the Vinho Verde sub-region most celebrated for Alvarinho. For most of that century, grapes were sold to local négociants - until 2009, when Grandma "Mariazinha", then 86, challenged her family to stop selling grapes and start making their own wine.

 

The face of the project is her granddaughter Joana Santiago, a lawyer for fifteen years before taking over the domaine at its first vintage in 2012. The estate's 7.5 hectares sit at 70–100 metres altitude in a unique microclimate that produces Alvarinho of rare aromatic intensity and freshness. Working exclusively with estate-grown grapes, Joana farms sustainably and keeps intervention in the cellar to a minimum, always with the aim of letting the terroir speak.

 

Alongside the estate range, Joana collaborates with Nuno Mira do Ó on the SOU project - a partnership that brings together two of the region's most exciting producers.