XPTO Factor: Propagation, Propagation, Propagation! in My vineyard!

Álvaro Martinho, born and raised “exclusively” in a village called Covas do Douro, from a very early age got involved with the vineyards, but also with the entire bio-geographic environment of the Douro Region.
In 1997, he joined a team of agronomists, with the responsibility of modernizing and making viticulture professional, in one of the most emblematic companies in the sector – Real Companhia Velha. He is responsible for Quinta das Carvalhas and here, as he says, he learned a lot of what he knows today and honed his skills in viticulture.

He builds a family life in Cumieira and it is in this village of Baixo Corgo that he has his viticultural heritage with about 10.5 ha. Mostly they are very old vines with an excellent location – south exposure, altitude between 200 and 350 meters and very poor and sloping soils. These vineyards have very low yields and a complex blend of grape varieties. Maquia and Mafarrico are the names of its wines.

With a very limited production, these wines accurately reflect the elegance and finess of this terroir. The project began in 2005 with the acquisition of some vineyards and the individual vinification of each plot. Maquia had its first edition in 2008, in partnership with Dirk Niepoort. The white Mafarrico had its first edition in 2013 and the red Mafarrico in 2012. In total, the producer makes less than 15,000 bottles a year. The sales are made mostly in the national market.