HISTORY
The Tradition of Casa de Sabicos
The origin of Casa de Sabicos Wines dates back to the second half of the 19th century. The family tradition of wine-making was born with Grandma Sabica, five generations ago.
After her husband’s death, when the youngest of her eight children was only two years old, Grandma Sabica had no other choice but to drive the agricultural family activities, which were spread all over 12,000 hectares.
Her decision to introduce grape and wine production as a normal agricultural activity would be followed not only by her children but also by the next generations. It was a landmark to the whole family, inspiring the taste for quality grape and wine production.
The soul and spirit of her wine-making philosophy were resumed by two of her great-grandchildren in Casa de Sabicos Wines. Holders of her wisdom in making excellent wines, they planted new vineyards specifically for the new wine production and built a new winery, equipped with the most modern technology.
Holding the same spirit as their ancestors and leveraging on the family tradition, they made Casa de Sabicos a brand internationally recognized by the quality of its wines.
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THE VINEYARDS
Several vineyards (“Quintas”) produce grapes for the Casa de Sabicos wines, which allows to take advantage of the different microclimates resulting from their specific location. Each one has a particular soil, of red chalky, and granitic origin which, together with traditional grape varieties and pruning techniques, make them suitable for the production of wines of excellence.
In all the vineyards of Casa de Sabicos, Integrated Protection techniques are strictly followed, as a way to contribute to a sustainable and environmentally responsible agriculture.
The Mediterranean climate, usually characterised by rainy winters, although with rain averaging 490 mm and average maximum temperatures of 31ºC, makes it imperative to compensate water with the use of watering located per drop. On the other hand, the weak rain at the end of the maturation period and very seldom during harvesting allows the grapes to be in good sanitary conditions when they enter the winery.
THE WINERY
When the grapes arrive at the winery, and in some cases, after the selection of the bunches, the wine masses are driven to the fermentation vats inside the winery, where the fermentations are processed under controlled temperature.
From the joint fermentation of the grape varieties in conical vats result wines with the preserved characteristics of each one of the grape varieties. The fermentation can be preceded or not, according to the desired wine, by a period of maceration.
To follow the evolution of the fermentations and ensure the correct evolution of the wine, weekly sensory analyses and monthly laboratory analyses are carried out.
Many of the red wines age in oak barrels, either French or Portuguese. Following the oak aging period, the wines are then bottled and start an additional aging period in a chamber with temperature control until they are ready to go to the market.