The region is divided into two sub-regions corresponding to two different soil types:

Sand soil (“Chão de Areia”) — Dune sand soils. Sand on top of consolidated materials (clay). From these vineyards, by the sea, we obtain the grapes for our DOC Colares wines.

Clay soil (“Chão Rijo” or hard soil) — Brown clay and limestone soils, located in the interior of the region. Here we produce the grapes for our IGP Lisbon wines.

Apart from the very specific microclimate and soil that shapes them, these wines are made with grapes from local vine varieties, which are produced only here. This was the region that saw them born!

• Ramisco – the queen of Colares red grape variety, giving rise to red wines of enormous complexity and with recognised ageing potential;
• Malvasia de Colares – the white grape variety par excellence. Fresh, herbal, mineral and salty wines.
• João Santarém ou Castelão – the traditional red grape variety from the “Chão Rijo” soil and common throughout the Lisbon region.

Vines are grown in sandy soil similar to beach sand. The whole planting process is very different from that in other regions, because we cannot plant directly in the sand, since it is a poor soil, without water and nutrient retention necessary for the plants to thrive.
Man’s ingenuity has found a way to overcome this limitation, allowing the cultivation of vines in a place that, at first sight, would not be at all suitable for the culture.
For planting of these vineyards, the first step is to remove all the sand, down to the clay layer, where the plant material (rods) is set. A very laborious operation that requires the movement of huge amounts of sand, excavating up to 2 to 3 meters deep.
For the next 3 to 4 years, the sand is gradually put back, together with manure applications, till the vineyard is settled in level ground and ready for production.
These plants are living monuments, some of them more than 100 years old Traditional, the vines have one or more arms of old wood spread on the ground. The arms hold the rods, sometimes more than 10 per vine. The sand, responsible for this laborious plantation, becomes the winegrower’s best friend as it radiates the heat necessary for the ripening of the berries, allowing to balance the adverse climatic factors (lack of sunshine and temperature due to humidity and fog).
Just before ripening, the bunches 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.
Properties are generally small and bound by loose stone walls, stones being brought from vineyards planted in non-sandy soils, known locally as “hard soil”.
This is a wholly hand-made viticulture seen at its best during the ripening period, that is, between mid- August and mid-September.