The freshness of the plateau expands the range. The new Pét-Nat wines from Adega de Favaios show that the Douro Moscatel cooperative retains its youthful spirit.

In Favaios, it’s not only Moscatel wines that fill the days. The altitude of the vineyards in this wine-growing village of the Douro, over 600 meters above sea level, is not only favorable for the maturation of the Moscatel grape but also ideal for the production of sparkling wines.

This quality of terroir is something that both the local winegrowers and Adega de Favaios are keen not to waste.

The Adega’s classic sparkling wine, highly rated by experts over the past year, demonstrates this perfectly. Now, the cooperative is reaffirming its position with two new variations of this naturally sparkling wine style: Adega de Favaios Nat Ensaio G Branco Gouveio and Nat Ensaio R Rosé.

From the French term “Pétillant Naturel,” the Pét-Nat wines from Cooperativa de Favaios follow an ancient winemaking method, where the wine is bottled before completing its first fermentation. Through this process, purer and more complete wines are achieved, as explained by Miguel Ferreira, the director of oenology at the Adega: “These are cloudier wines, which preserve important qualitative compounds essential to the desired wine profile—less intervention and a strong expression of the year and the place.”

The oenologist further explains that “the Adega seeks new solutions and experiments with grape varieties that thrive on the Favaios plateau, allowing us to cater to new consumer profiles.”

Pét-Nat wines are an example of this, he concludes: “In this type of wine, a more natural winemaking process is used, with fewer added oenological products and less human intervention.”