The Douro is the oldest demarcated appellation in Western Europe, chartered in 1756. Since 1986, the focus has diversified from the early days of fortified wine production in Porto, giving rise to several fine table wines that spearheaded the Portuguese wine market in America in the early 2000s. After a decade as winemaker at Niepoort, where he was responsible for some of the best known and highly rated wines to come out of the famed Douro and Porto producer, Luis Seabra decided that he no longer wanted to make wines to someone else’s tastes and specifications. Thus, he began his eponymous winery, and set about shattering preconceptions of what Douro wines represent. He is a particularly gifted winemaker, one who sees wine as a medium through which a piece of land can speak. He has focused his winemaking on the distinct soil types in the valley, and his projects shows the breadth of style that is achievable in the region. What makes Luis Seabra Vinhos unique? His wines offer an introduction to the dominant soil type in the Douro valley. There is minimal interventionist winemaking and these vines are planted exclusively in yellow schist soil. His fresh, mineral driven wines showcase the purity of fruit achievable in the region. Seabra’s sustainable farmed vines are vinified using only spontaneous fermentation and indigenous yeasts, this way Luis Seabra removes all potential variability other than the soil type as an expression of terroir.
