From a 17th-century estate to the world's best-selling Dão brand
The history of Cabriz begins long before the winery: Quinta de Cabriz in Carregal do Sal is a historic estate with a manor house and a chapel from the 17th century, nestled between the Mondego and Dão rivers in the heart of the wine region of the same name. In 1989, the company Dão Sul established its home here and launched the first vintages under the name Cabriz starting in 1990. What began as a regional project grew into one of Portugal's most well-known wine addresses. Today, Quinta de Cabriz belongs to Sogrape Vinhos, the largest Portuguese wine group, which continuously invests in cellar technology and viticulture. In 2011, the Cabriz Colheita Selecionada made it into the Wine Spectator's Top 100 as the best Portuguese wine — a result that was repeated in 2016. In 2017, the "Best Value Wines" award from Robert Parker followed.
Integrated viticulture on granite soils, modern cellar
The Quinta comprises 38 hectares of vineyard area, which are managed according to the principles of integrated farming — an approach that reduces chemical intervention to the necessary minimum and relies on the natural balance of the ecosystem. The vineyards are protected between the Serra da Estrela, Serra do Caramulo, and Buçaco mountain ranges: the altitude ensures warm days and cool nights, while the granite and sandy soils provide natural drainage and a mineral character. In the cellar, the team works with temperature-controlled fermentation and gentle extraction; for the Reserva and Colheita Selecionada lines, partial aging in French oak barrels is added. For the white wines — made from indigenous varieties such as Encruzado, Bical, and Malvasia Fina — Cabriz relies on stainless steel tanks to preserve freshness and aromatics.
Indigenous grape varieties, clear style profile — from entry-level to Reserva
Cabriz works exclusively with Portuguese grape varieties: for the reds, Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, and Aragonez (Tempranillo) are at the forefront, while Encruzado dominates the whites. The range is divided into several lines — from the accessible Escolha series to the Colheita Selecionada and the Reserva — which cover different occasions and flavor profiles, but all follow the same basic principle: distinct acidity structure, finesse instead of power, and a clear origin in the glass. In addition, there is an organic line (Cabriz Biológico) for red and white Dão without the use of synthetic agents in the vineyard. The Cabriz Reserva Tinto, which can also be found in our range, exemplifies what the Dão can do: ripe dark fruit, finely structured tannins, and a long, spicy finish — shaped by granite, altitude, and indigenous varieties that do not grow like this anywhere else.
