Cárcoda, “Deuses do vale”, 2020

Quinta Vila Rachel is a family owned estate located in the Douro Valley Region in Portugal. Our family has been producing wine for more than 200 years. We grow organic grapes using regenerative methods to work the soil and we let them be as wild as possible. Minimum intervention not only in the winery but also in the vineyard. The wines are absolutely natural and without any additives, not even the addition of sulfur. All wines are from single vineyard and therefore the grapes are not mixed with the grapes from other parcels. The entire production process is handcrafted and carried out in small quantities, where we apply all our knowledge to be able to produce wines that reflect the place where they come from. The fermentations are all natural, using native and wild yeasts that arrive at the cellar together with the grapes. All grape varieties are Portuguese native, and our vineyards are planted with them all mixed together, in order to promote the biodiversity of our place. This is also a traditional way of making wines in the Douro by mixing dozens of grape varieties, even red ones with white. No pesticides, herbicides, or synthesizing fertilizers were used. Herb control is all mechanical and fertilization is through compost. The harvest is done by hand. In its production, the wine did not have any type of filtration in order to maintain its most genuine and natural profile. We also avoid using racking pumps, trying to handle the production entirely by hand.