Joaquim is a one man team planting, tending to, harvesting, and vinifying the wines in his small cellar near the Spanish border. He is by training a geologist and attended school in the UK, followed by a stint in Paris, and finally ending at the Enology school in Montpellier, France. It is considered to be one of the top three in the country along with Beaune and Bordeaux! He lives in Oporto, and makes the 3 hour trek to the winery along Route 222 with happiness. In 2019, Conde Nast voted that stretch of highway along the Douro the most scenic drive in the world!

Winemaker: Joaquim Almeida da Silva

Winery Stats

Vineyard Size: 10 ha

Total Production: 55,000 bottles

Farming: Organic Practices

Certification: None

Grapes Planted (Red): Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Cao, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz

Grapes Planted (White): Viosinho, Rabigato, Codega de Lourinha

Winery Story

Located in the extreme eastern end of Portugal, Quinta de Vale de Pios translates to "the winery in the valley of the bird chirps." It is easy to know why, when you stand in the vineyard and close your eyes, the bird are all you here. It is located in the Parque Nacional del Douro, which is also a Wild Bird Preserve. Barca d’Alva is the closest village nearby and also serves as the last stop on the Douro River before it becomes the Duero in neighboring Arribes DO. This region is particularly dry-only 6 inches of rain per year give this essentially desert climate the ability to grow only grapes, olives, and almonds. The soil is a veritable mosaic of broken quartz, granite, shale, and a subsoil of vertical black schist. Temperatures peak well over 105 degrees daily in the summer, but the night time temperatures drop to the upper 50s and provide a great level of freshness and acidity to the grapes. Joaquim started the winery in 2003 and has been working in some of the most challenging conditions of the wine world ever since.

Philosophy

“After hours of hard studying military and geological maps and lots of kilometres of dust we (finally) found the perfect site, the farm Vale de Pios. At the winery we try to combine the best of the old traditions with modern practices. Older traditions include the use of mills for the “cut”, and using a thin layer of carbon dioxide for better extraction. These are combined with modern vinification technology, like extended fermentation in vats using temperature and reassembly control undoubtedly makes the finished wines less aggressive. Our wines age in new french oak wood barrels in a warehouse with thick stone walls that are able to control the thermal inertia, allowing good conditions of temperature and moisture before bottling. Wines are aged until they are ready to be enjoyed, they are not released as soon as possible.”- Joaquim Almeida

Something Random

Joaquim was the first wine maker Andrey recruited to the Bliss portfolio independently!

Video

In this video, Master Sommelier Andrey Ivanov and Allyson Gorsuch dive into the Douro Valley where winemaking is at it's most sparce, and often most extreme.

Joaquim Almeida is a geologist turned winemaker that is bringing new life to unfortified Portuguese wine, showcasing the ability for Touriga to upstage Cabernet Sauvignon, and even having incredible maturity after 15 years of age.

Wines Tasted:
Pios Branco 2021
Vale de Pios 2017
As Tourigas 2007
Vinha das Arzilas 2013