Colares

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Climate with a marked Atlantic maritime influence, with a temperate and humid summer.
• Two permitted soil types: psamitic Regosols ('chão de areia', sandy soil) and brown calcareous soils over marl ('chão rijo', hard ground).
• Located between the Serra de Sintra and the Atlantic Ocean, near Lisbon.
• Sandy soils over deep clay prevented the spread of phylloxera in the late 19th century.
• Maritime winds are a determining factor in the distinctive characteristics of the region's vineyards.

• The Colares vineyards planted in deep sand over clay escaped the phylloxera epidemic of the 19th century.
• Two traditional soil types: 'chão de areia' (psamitic Regosols) for red Ramisco wines and 'chão rijo' (brown calcareous soils) for white Malvasia wines.

• Red Ramisco: intense ruby colour that softens with ageing, acquiring a brownish hue and a developed bouquet.
• White Malvasia: citrine colour with a pronounced fruity aroma and a fruity palate.

• The proximity of the sea, maritime winds, and clay soils covered by sand allowed the Colares vineyards to escape phylloxera.

Facts drawn from the cahier's terroir-link section (Lien au terroir) by automatic interpretation — see the the caderno de especificações.

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-PT-A1461
• Official trade body site — Comissão Vitivinícola da Região de Lisboa