Casa de Mouraz & Antonio Lopes Ribeiro

Harmony in the vineyard!

The Casa de Mouraz vineyards are run by a lovely Portuguese couple, Sara and Antonio and is located in the Dão region, a wild terroir of pine, oak and chestnut tree forests making bed for a mix of old and young vines, and some indigenous grape types.

The line under the name of Antonio Lopes Ribeiro supplies us with bottles from the Douro and the Vinho Verde region, close to the Atlantic ocean.

wine barrels

Countryside life dream

The Casa de Mouraz story is a romantic one. Tired of the big city and having a romantic dream of moving to the countryside and own a vineyard? Sara and Antonio made it and now are living the dream in the North of Portugal.

The couple left their steady jobs in Lisbon and moved back to Mouraz, Antonio’s birthplace where his family has had vineyards for many generations. The land has been farmed organically before, and that’s how Sara and Antonio wished to continue:

“Sustainable viticulture and authentic winemaking.”

Wines

We offer three different lines from the winery: the Casa de Mouraz, the Antonio Lopes Ribeiro and the no sulphites added. The former one is located in the heart of the Dao region where they grow a vast selection of white grape varieties. The different soil types (mostly granite and clay) accommodate pine, oak, chestnut and cork trees amongst the vine providing a sustainable and healthy coexistence.

The Antonio Lopes Riberiro vineyards are situated outside of the Dao region, and are distributed throughout Douro, Vinho Verde and Alentejo. There are old parcels planted with indigenous grape varieties, the Limia Valley’s cooler climate and granite soils cultivate rather lighter, refreshing wines.

The ‘no sulphites added’ line are easily recognisable by the lovely labels picturing the 3 ‘little’ helper of the vineyards: Chibu the goat, Nina the cat and Bolinha the Maltese dog. A very interesting technique is used to preserve the wine, instead of using sulphites, the producers add dried chestnuts blossom to the crushed grapes. The natural product is found in the forest around the winery and is known to be a healthy medical plant, often used in herbal medicine. The wines present an elegant character, mineral sometimes herbal and earthy.

Atlantic Ocean view

The Douro is a river shaping the terraced hills of stony vineyards. Rock roses, thyme and rosemary add characters to these wines. The Vinho Verde is, on the other hand, a complete opposite landscape: the closeness of the Atlantic and numerous rivers make bed of a green and vibrant region. Antonio Lopes Ribeiro’s third area is a warm one, shadowed by oak trees on this rather hilly terroir.

Sarah and Antonio’s natural wines are “where all this harmony is concentrated”. They believe that the wines make themselves which are the expression of the soil, the grapes, the climate and the men taking care of them. They’re all part of the narrative – and so are you! The big audience favourite in our wine bar is now available online!

Casa de Mouraz’s webpage