Nuno Cancela de Abreu
“To respect the unique identity of each terroir”
Nuno Cancela de Abreu
The Family Legacy
Nuno Cancela de Abreu was born into a family with over 130 years of farming tradition, in a property located in the wine region of Dão, keeps records of this activity since 1884. Representative of the 4th generation of the Cancela de Abreu family and, despite of his high academic background, the influence of his family was the key element in pursuing a career in winemaking.
“I inherited the responsibility of continuing the work of three generations.” Nuno Cancela de Abreu
Nuno Cancela de Abreu was recognized as “Winemaker of the Year 2016” by Aníbal Coutinho
The Professional Path
- Graduated in Enology in Lisbon, Portugal at the Instituto Superior de Agronomia (ISA) and completed a post-graduate degree in Viticulture & Enology at the University of Montpellier, in southern France.
- His first professional experience was in the Douro wine region, where he led the ADVID activity from 1981 to 1987. ADVID is an association for pioneering research that has influenced new wine-producing projects in both Douro and Porto.
- Between 1985 and 1987, he lectured the subject Enology as an Assistant at the University of Trás-os-Montes and Alto Douro.
The Arinto Grape Variety
From 1987 till 2001, Nuno became the manager and winemaker at Quinta da Romeira in Bucelas wine region. Working closely with this white grape variety, Arinto, he was one of the main contributors to its recovery through clone selection and differentiating vinification methods. This led to well-known brands, such as, Prova Régia and Morgado de Sta. Catarina. At the moment, and as a result of this work, the Arinto is present in all Portuguese wine regions, as an improved variety, being considered one of the best Portuguese white grape varieties.
2001 – 2010
Between 2001 and 2010 he undertook a new challenge, this time, in the Ribatejo Wine Region: the restructuring of Quinta da Alorna. This reorganization entailed the revision of all viticultural procedures, from the vineyards to the wine style, including branding and trading.
Throughout his career, Nuno assisted other projects, providing winemaking services, so that, in 2001 he founded a wine consulting company, NCA Consultores, responding to market needs.
The Philosophy
It was in the Harvest of 2010 that he decided to dedicate all of his experience in viticulture and winemaking exclusively to the Boas Quintas project in order to develop it in a sustainable way. After starting it in 1991 with the plantation of a new vineyard and also with the launch of the wine brands “Quinta da Fonte do Ouro” and “Quinta da Giesta”. Striving for an initiative that would allow him to create high quality wines with distinctive character and personality.
The philosophy is simple: To respect the unique identity of each terroir.