Factor XPTO: Engineer? Professor? Yes, all that, but mainly a foolish agricultor that fell in love with the land. An humble interpreter of that land.

Miguel Morais in direct speech: “Quinta da Costa is a heritage of a cold foggy day. A day that expressed what was inside me when I looked at the vineyards and the rundown houses around me. I knew nothing about viticulture or oenology, but I knew I had a herculean task ahead of me, and then I just wondered: what am I getting into?

Since that day, Costa and I have grown a lot, lived a lot, learned and erred together. In our first harvest, all the grapes (except the white and Mourisco grapes) were sold to make Porto Wine. Something didn’t feel good with me. This was not the right path for me nor Costa.

I did some very rudimentary winemaking experiments that allowed me to test mainly my vigneron potential and appetite. Something was born that day. The years passed and the passion grew.

I was now able to identify some of the varietals, define the treatments, and I now know the property limits. I made some wines in friends’ cellars and look! the guys even liked it.

In 2013 I decided to refurbish the winery. In 2014 it was my first serious vintage, the construction work wasn’t completely finished when the grapes started to come in. A lot of learning, a lot of work, but also moments of pause, contemplation, reflection. Just being in the moment, learning about simplicity.

Making wines at Costa made me understand the place better. Respect the land, the plants, the animals. Cut on the chemicals, let the unique telluric energy of this place flourish and infuse the wines and those who visit us.

The wines seek to simplesmente… respect the place my grandparents, in a mix of luck and resourcefulness, chose.