Colares Wine Region, Portugal

Colares is simply one of the most fascinating wine regions I have come across anywhere in the world. Nestling between the Sintra mountains and the Atlantic, just north of the capital Lisbon, this historic district is the home of some of Europe's last remaining ungrafted pre-phylloxera vines, with unique grape varieties Ramisco (red) and Malvasia de Colares (white) grown in sunken pits on unusual deep sandy soils not unlike beach sand, in very close proximity to the sea, although the roots themselves are planted in clay below the sand layers. In this environment the phylloxera bug cannot survive, and frankly it's a miracle that the wine industry survives here at all, given the other problems it faces. These include the muscular Atlantic influence, Colares being as it is on the westernmost tip of Continental Europe - strong and salty sea winds that try to kill anything growing in their path, impenetrable sea mists, one the poorest summer solar radiation indices in Portugal, and a constant battle against the loss of land due to real estate pressure along the coast and from nearby Sintra, a world heritage site and prime tourist destination. Vines have to be protected from the wind, and this is achieved through use of hand-made palisades of dried canes sewn with wicker. Properties are generally small and bound by loose stone walls, stones being brought from vineyards planted in non-sandy soils. The resulting landscape looks extraordinary - some authors compare it to a honeycomb. For the planting of these vineyards, to begin with, a trench is dug and all the sand must be removed, down to the clay layer, where the plant material is set. For the next 3 to 4 years, layers of sand mixed with manure are added, building the soil level back up to ground level and in doing so protecting the vines, which by then are ready for production. Many of these plants are living monuments, some of them more than 100 years old. Traditionally, the vines have one or more arms of old wood spread on the ground. The arms hold the canes, sometimes more than 10 per vine. Just before ripening, the vines are propped up away from the sand, using 50 cm-long pieces of cane. At this stage, grape clusters are often covered with dried weeds from the vineyard itself, to prevent sunburns. This is a wholly hand-made viticulture seen at its best during the ripening period, between mid ­August and mid-September. The high labour costs stemming from the cultivation methods used and inefficient use of land mean that it's remarkable this place still produces wine at all. Indeed, many producers have closed in recent years, leaving just a handful remaining; a quick drive around Colares town shows evidence of the unloved buildings of old producers who have now ceased trading. It's sad to say but today Colares is supported by a charitable foundation keen to preserve this idiosyncratic outpost of history. This is however a charming place to visit, and the wines are full of character. Colares reds in particular have a reputation for being very long-lived. In a sub-region a little further inland, there are vineyards run on a somewhat more commercial footing; these again are characterized by clay soils (locally known as 'chão rijo' or hard soil), but this time without the layers of sand, and they produce simple but satisfying Regional Estremadura Denomination wines.