One of the historic estates in the Castelo Rodrigo region is Quinta da Biaia, which in the 17th century was owned by the governor Henrique Jacques de Magalhães and owes its name to Dona Beatriz de Sousa Lopes, popularly known as Biaia. The current owners, Carlos Flor, a major businessman in the region, and Ricardo Lopes Ferro, a university professor in Lisbon, have long harboured the dream of producing organic wines. In 2014, they asked Luís Leocádio, a well-known oenologist from Beira Interior, to come on board and decided to turn ideas into action by creating the company Domínios do Interior – Produtos da Beira Douro, Lda. The aim was to manage Quinta da Biaia's vineyards, make wine from its grapes and market both the wines and the other organic agricultural products produced, in particular almonds. They invested very cautiously, outsourcing the vinification, ageing and bottling processes. Horácio Nunes, a well-known and respected figure, was chosen as a trusted collaborator and the bedrock of the project, assuming the role of agricultural and winery manager.

The first wines soon demonstrated that the project was based on solid foundations, with a focus on quality. The style is a compromise between international modernity and the rusticity of Beira, where the region's historic grape varieties play an important role. A few awards in prestigious competitions catapulted the Quinta da Biaia brand alongside the great Portuguese organic wines and sales suddenly soared, especially in northern Europe, even during the COVID-19 pandemic. The three partners were thrilled with the results and decided to plant new vines, while renting 37 hectares of mature and old vines. The foundations have therefore been laid for a major organic wine project in the region, which boasts the best conditions in the country for this type of production.

Vineyards

Vineyard operations management: Carlos Flor

Area of own vineyards: 21 hectares

Grape origin: Own and third-party grapes

Viticulture type: Organic production

White grape varieties: Síria, Fonte Cal, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc

Red grape varieties: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz, Caladoc, Mourisco, Pinot Noir, Rufete, Jaen

Wine cellar

General managers: Ricardo Lopes Ferro and Carlos Flor

Oenologist: Luís Santos

Cellar master: Horácio Nunes

Types of wine produced: White, red, rosé and sparkling

Wine brands: Biaia and Quinta da Biaia

Percentage of PDO/PGI production: 100% PDO

Average annual production: 120,000 litres

Production destination: Domestic market (30%) and export (70%)

Wine tourism

Wine tasting

Part of the Beira Interior Wine Route