The oldest brand in Monção- Melgaço from the 80’s, Quinta de Saolheiro is a “sunny” place (literal
translation of the Portuguese word Soalheiro) surrounded by mountains and characterized by the
important day to night thermal shift: around 38 degrees during the day and 16 at night. This mountain-
sheltered microclimate gives a different profile to Alvarinho both in terms of flavors and acidity. This
area enjoys the average temperature in Pinhão and the rainfall level specific to Vinho Verde.
Soalheiro started as a family in 1982 with João António Cerdeira and his parents, António Esteves
Ferreira and Maria Cerdeira, and became a large family, comprising 25 growers who supply grapes, in
addition to personal vineyards. It all started in the garage of father João Antonío Cerdeira who took out
the Escort Ford to produce wine from a plot planted on 1974 which would become “Pimeras Vinhas” –
the first vineyard. Thus, a modern and extremely plastic winery was born, adapted to various types of
terroirs- oriented micro-vinifications. Antonío Luís Cerdeira, with a graduate degree in œnology in
France and his sister, a veterinarian doctor reconverted into a vine culture technologist, took the
command of this "flagship" cellar of the region.
Sustainability is the key word, towards nature, towards the human, social factor and towards the
cultural factor. Starting with 2020, the estate has decided to replace normal bottles with a lighter glass
by 19%, thus reducing the carbon footprint.
The estate is also distinguished by the adopted descending vine- culture system, which allows the
aromatics to be preserved, compared to the ascending system of Rias Baixas. In this way, Alvarinho
preserves a more thiolic character than Albariño in Galicia, which is imbued with terpenic notes.
Alvarinho prefers cool vintages not to give an oily character brought by the TDN and at the same time
phenolics are less present in the skin. In Monção- Melgaço, tartaric acid dominates, while in Galicia it is
the malic acid, thus the acidic structure is also different.
It should also be noted that the Monção-Melgaço area has a different regulation system in terms of
yields and other qualitative aspects of the specification.
Alvarinho 2020
It comes from the valley zone, with more organic matter, more nitrogen in the soils. Also, there is more
potassium in the soil here, so less acidity than on pure granite.
Pale lemon- green, displaying green fruit, apple, and citrus, such as pomelo, nice herbal aromas, like
fern, with thiolic character. Soft texture with medium plus acidity, with fresh crisp, green fruit, nice
herbal touch, the palate is zesty, digest, lean, still rounded up.
Alvarinho Granit 2020
Pale, water- clear, nose is more discreet, with a stony, flinty character, offering some pears, apples, of a
riper nature. Vertical palate, with high acidity, leesy texture, with salty sapidity, dense displaying a stony
character, with salty finish induced by the lees autolysis.
Germinar 2020
The area is located in the west of the mountains that protect Monção- Melgaço. Here the climate
becomes purely maritime, and some salt of the ocean goes into the soil, brought by the saline breezes.

Julia Scavo DipWSET© p. 2
Alvarinho tends to be replaced by Loureiro with lower pH, lower skin phenolics, offering the possibility
of a light skin contact. It also shows much more terpenic aromatics. Germinar plays upon a blend of 3
styles of winemaking: in concrete tank, stainless steel vad, and stainless-steel egg.
Citrus, herbal, salty character, with fine aromatics, some citrus peel. Crystal- clear with razor-blade
acidity, vertical, lean, with satin- like mouthfeel, the finish is crispy, zesty, citrusy, with aromatic
character and long, salty, precise finish.
Primeras Vinhas 2020
The yield of Primeras Vinhas 2020 (1974) is lower, the production is therefore reduced, the
concentration is higher, with more complexity than simple intensity and aromatic character. 15% of the
wine ferments in old barrels.
Delicate nose, displaying apple, fresh almonds, citrus. Soft attack, juicy core, concentrated and rounded
up despite high acidity. Lean texture, both silky and dense especially on the finish with savouriness,
some phenolics, nice bitter zests and a touch of fresh bitter almonds, flinty reductiveness.
Reserva 2019 – 100% oak fermented
Creamy, nutty, with almonds´ notes, of a reductive oak maturing, offering some smokiness. With a more
exotic character, it brings up a peachy touch. The palate is large, of a ripe nature, with a medium plus
acidity, soft texture, creamy mouthfeel counterbalanced by a nice phenolic bite. Citrusy, zesty, with
notes of almonds and toast. Long, layered.
Terramatter 2019
Bio- organically farmed, fermented in concrete egg and stainless-steel egg, a wine as close as possible to
nature. Malo-lactic conversion is carried out partially in traditional chestnut barrels of the area.
Unfiltered.
Herbal notes, characteristic of an early harvest to generate more punchy freshness, assumed leesy
nature on a lactic background, inspiring some yogurt notes, this is a reductive style, with citrus crisp and
fresh apple crunch. Dry and savoury palate, with juicy core, medium to plus acidity, still very fresh, with
leesy phenolics rounded by texture, its herbal aromatics mingle with a with a lactic tinge. Finish is
citrusy, juicy with a leesy tinge.