Hugo started his winemaking journey in 2002 when he worked his first harvest with João. For the next decade they continued to work together and when Hugo began other projects in Dão, he returned to help at Quinta da Boavista when needed, never losing touch. In 2021, Hugo and Florian combined efforts, making wine together for the next two years before parting ways to focus on their own projects. It was August this year that Hugo decided to become a fulltime winemaker, founding Hugo Pinheiro Wines. Shortly after, in the middle of harvest, the wildfires began and half of the grapes were lost. Hugo still managed to produce 8000 litres of wine, both white and red. Now it is a waiting game, as it won’t be until March that the true damage to the vineyard will be revealed. The 3 hectares of vines are located between 480 and 510 metres, with granite, shale and clay. White varieties include Encruzado, Cerceal, Bical and Malvasia Fina, along with reds; Jaen, Alfrocheiro Preto, Touriga Nacional and Rufete. There is also a 40 year old plot where 15 reds and whites are planted together and used to make Palhete, a co-fermented, Portuguese red.
Bical / Malvasia Fina ’23 is the product of a very hot year, when harvest began earlier than usual with grapes picked from late August until early September. Whole bunches were pressed and given 25 days’ skin contact. Just before the end of fermentation, half of the juice was placed in a beeswax-coated amphora, while the other half went into stainless steel. Aged in these separate vessels for 6 months, it was then combined to create the final blend, with 20mg of SO2 at bottling. A light wine with an aroma of hay and citrus, drink chilled.