Red Wine

Proibido

Grand Reserve 2021, 75cl

Douro DOC

Proibido

The Proibido Grande Reserva red wine pays homage to the people of the border region, for whom smuggling was their way of life.

It comes from old vines aged between 40 and 80 years, producing small quantities, planted in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, a very dry region with low precipitation, on small plots facing north or east between 250m and 500m altitude.

All the work focuses on preserving old, unused vines and trying to give them life without the use of herbicides or pesticides. No tractor enters the vineyard; we need a “macho” (working horse) to plow the land. Everything is done by hand and with the use of a hoe. We thus respect what the vineyard gives us, and we try to make the transformation of grapes into wine as natural as possible. That’s why, in the winery, we usually work with indigenous yeasts and use low sulphur additives.

We work daily alongside our viticulturists to raise awareness, especially of environmental sustainability, always thinking unconditionally about our final product, which we want to be one of the best wines in the region.

Vinification: the grapes were foot-trodden in a small lagar. Fermentation started spontaneously and lasted about 30 days. Then it aged for 15 months in used barrels.

Awards:

Best of Portugal 2022 – Revista de Vinhos (Wine Magazine)
96/100 – Wine Advocate – Robert Parker
18.5/20 – Revista de Vinhos (Wine Magazine)
18.5/20 – Revista Paixão Pelo Vinho (Wine Magazine)

Allergens information

Contains sulphites.

Márcio Lopes

Márcio Lopes is one of the faces of a new generation of experimentalist and revivalist winemakers who have been bringing us exceptional wines, capable of awakening our senses to what is ours, what is truly Portuguese wine. There are 80,000 bottles that today complete his production, exported to more than 14 countries.

“Experiment. Create. Accomplish. It’s my life motto. I want to make special wines that bring out the best nature has to offer.”

Márcio Lopes was born in Porto in 1983 and from a young age had contact with rural life and agriculture through his grandparents. He graduated in Agricultural Engineering in 2006 from the University of Porto. Still during his academic period, he started working with the winemaker Anselmo Mendes in Melgaço, where he made his first harvest with the Alvarinho grape variety. From northern Portugal, he headed to Australia in 2008, where he did two harvests – Rutherglen and Tasmania.

In 2010, he founded the project “Márcio Lopes Winemaker” with his first two brands: PEQUENOS REBENTOS in the Vinho Verde Region and PROIBIDO in the Upper Douro Region.
In 2015, he acquired Quinta do Pombal in Vila Nova de Foz Côa.

He was elected “Winemaker Revelation of the Year 2019” by “Revista de Vinhos – A Essência dos Vinhos” in 2020. In the same year, he received the “2019 Uniqueness Award” from the magazine “Vinho – Grandes Escolhas” and a Mention in the “Top 100 Wine Discoveries 2020, Robert Parker”.

In 2020, he received the “Tradition and Identity” award from the magazine “Paixão Pelo Vinho”.

“We have a well-defined path to follow, surely with obstacles. But always step by step, with a focus on excellence, above all, what we most desire is to make people happy.