Conceito Bastardo

Conceito Bastardo is a single-variety wine made by Conceito Wines in the DOC Douro with the Bastardo native variety.

Conceito wines started out in the forties with 86 hectares of vineyards in Vila Nova de Foz Côa, in the Douro sub-region (Portugal). This is a family winery currently run by Rita Ferreira Marqués, a young winemaker who, after training in prestigious places like Bordeaux, California, New Zealand and South Africa, took on this project with a purpose: to make wine free from stereotypes, uniting tradition with innovation. This way of working links her with other young Portuguese winemakers who together have formed “Young Winemakers of Portugal”. A group who help each other when the going gets tough, all under the motto of “together uphill”.

Conceito Bastardo comes from 30-year-old vines that are planted on slate soils. They use traditional and environmentally friendly agriculture, but they also incorporate new methods that provide more control and better quality both in the vineyard and the winery. The harvest is manual and transported to the winery in 20 kg boxes.

In the winery, the Conceito Bastardo grapes are crushed by foot without being destemmed. Alcoholic fermentation then takes place in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature. Finally, it is left to age for a few months in used French oak barrels.

Conceito Bastardo is the result of reviving a variety that had almost been forgotten in Douro. A grape that gives little colour to the wine but that does have good tannic concentration and aromatic complexity.