Factor XPTO: Passion for producing whole wines, faithful to an identity and a territory.

Hello, I’m Paulo Sousa, the producer of Sidónio de Sousa wines.
Sidónio de Sousa is my father, but the story begins much earlier with my grandfather when, a century ago, he returned from the USA and decided to invest in the vineyard. He acquired the first plots in the clay-limestone soils near the village of Ancas and began cultivating vines (Baga, of course!).
In 1990, with my father at the helm, the first transformation took place: encouraged by awards given to our wine, which was previously sold in bulk, my father, Sidónio de Sousa, dared to bottle the wine and started selling it under his own brand. The Reserva and shortly after the Garrafeira were born.

The white vines amid the traditional red planting began to be harvested separately even before 2000. At that time, we were just “playing around” with bubbles… At the turn of the millennium, serious thoughts about sparkling wine started, and in a few years, we planted a vineyard of Bical, Maria Gomes, and Arinto. But the true sparkling revolution occurred in 2012 when the production process was rethought, and I launched the Special Cuvée brand.
In 2016, the first experiment with white wine (without bubbles!) surprised me, and nowadays, I can’t help but think why it didn’t happen earlier! The Reserva Branco is a wine profile of which I am very proud. This marks the evolution of a house, from a classic red wine producer in Bairrada to a family that, while maintaining the classic vein, tries to explore to the fullest what our vines give us.
It always starts in the vineyard; my vines are my greatest treasure! Then, in the cellar, I try not to spoil the fruit. My wines are wines that I like, my passion. I don’t follow trends or try to ride the wave. They are simply whole, complete nectars with minimalist winemaking. They express a territory, an identity grape variety, and the life of a region – Bairrada, Baga, and its people.