New Portuguese Discoveries

Some favourites from Simplesmente Vinho 2025

This week I’m taking a little pause from some rather epic tasting reports and philosophical essays to report back on my favourite Portuguese wine fair, Simplesmente Vinho.

It’s still the best way I know to take a temperature reading of the Portuguese artisan wine scene. Who’s hot, who’s new, who’s still got it and who hasn’t. How many more orange wines or pét-nats are there compared to last year?

Every year there are new faces and surprises. Here are a few wines and growers who particularly impressed me.

Villa Seara

With wines as fresh-faced as they are, Sofia Cambey and Martin Basso showed how you can hit the ground running when you’re both trained and experienced winemakers. The pair met in California and have made wine on multiple continents. Martin is originally from Alto Adige, Italy, while Sofia hails from the Minho valley (Vinho Verde), where they created their Villa Seara project in 2021. They now farm 6 hectares of vineyards on a family property that was abandoned in the 1980s. Farming is organic, and there’s also accommodation if you fancy visiting.

Focusing on Alvarinho and a local red variety Padeiro de Basto, they make a white, rosé and red. The 2023 white, a blend of Avesso and Alvarinho, impressed me with citrussy aromatics and great concentration. Subtle use of skin contact definitely helped give this a bit more body.