Fernardo Paiva is a Portuguese producer of genius who operates in the Vinho Verde region. How else to describe a man who, in a climate where the influence of the Atlantic makes biodynamic farming virtually impossible, produces his grapes using certified biodynamic methods.
The tiny estate with just 3 hectares of privately owned vineyards is located near Amarante in the Sousa Valley, a sub-region of Vinho Verde, and came into Fernardo's hands from his grandmother in 2000. Actually Quinta da Palmirinha means the Palmirinha farm which was his grandmother's name. He started working with the vineyard after first retiring as a history teacher and very quickly managed, with his subversive techniques and the great white wines he produces, to be a flag bearer for the changes taking place in a region that had traditionally associated its name with large, cheap and homogenized wines.
Fernardo grows biodynamically and organically certified vineyards from native Vinho Verde treasures such as Loureiro and Azal. He decided early on that he would not interfere with nature, and among his subversive techniques is replacing the sulfites in the wines he makes with ground chestnut blossoms that he collects with his grandchildren from his estate. This is a real breakthrough, a producer who is staggering in mentality and produces world-class wines that are unlike anything you've tasted out there. It's incredible the way Fernardo's wines take you back to the place of production, effortlessly, full of harmony, energy and a uniquely light character.
