Pormenor Vinhos was iniatally established in the Douro Valley as the dream of three friends – José Silva, Miguel Cardozo, and Pedro Coelho. Pormenor, meaning “details”, was launched with the 2013 vintage.

Pedro is now the sole driving force behind Pormenor. Raised in the Duoro, he is not new to wine. His father was a a cork producer, his grandfather a barrel maker. He himself worked in the finance side of a port house. Years down that path he realized “someone in the family should produce and drink!” Thus Pormenor was born.

Luis Seabra, a mentor and close consultant from the beginning left Pedro to his own in 2018. In total, he works 25ha of vines, with 3.5ha under his ownership. As he looks to purchase the rest, he contracts with the “old-timers” hiding forgotten vines in the nooks and crannies. The vines range from 40 to 95 years old. planted at high altitudes.

The winery is for now, an honest garage. With the door fully open, it feels exposed, like part of the landscape itself. Inside is a few inox tanks and a collection of barrels, large and old. There is just enough space beside his holding tanks to squeeze in grapes during harvest, just as the last bottles of the previous vintage are leaving. Temperature control is not in effect, but the cold here can be penetrating, which is ideal for his slow-natural fermentations. Remarkably, everything is orderly, efficient and manageable. Clearly, to Pedro, details is more than just a name.

The Cima Corgo, in the centre of the Douro valley is an upland wine-growing area par excellence. Its central location in the valley provides a relatively balanced climate. Although the summers are as torrid as elsewhere in the valley, there is at least the compensation of an adequate level of rainfall for grape growing. The schist is everywhere, giving wines here distinct minerality and delicacy. Underground, great foliated sheets sequester precious pockets of moisture where the vine roots can find sustenance. Most of Pedro’s vines are North/Northeast exposures, protecting the vines from the severe sunshine. Altitudes can range from 600-750m.

Pormenor is focused on organic farming practices and pruning the old vines to better health is a long but promising mission. Pedro works with indigenous varietals only, with naturally low yields from the 40-95 yr old plants. Picking dates are earlier than the neighbors, sometimes weeks ahead. The old folk think his new ways crazy, but his one goal is an incredible portrayal of the historic Douro Valley.

All thoughts in the cellar lean toward wines as lens to the natural conditions of each vintage. Fermentation occurs only with native, wild yeasts. The Branco and Tinto are fermented in stainless steel tank, the reservas in older french oak. Specific to the whites, there is no Malo-ferments and no battonage. The reds see some combination of whole cluster and post-fermentation macerations. All wines are naturally racked (although not gravity fed), with as gentle movement as possible.