"Wines of altitude on granite soil." -Pedro Frey
Frey’s wines emerge from a singular terroir defined by altitude on granite soils near the town of Lamego, where the Douro Valley begins its gentle transition into the forested, granite-dominated landscapes reminiscent of Tavora-Varosa. On a modest 3.5-hectare estate planted in the early 20th century, vines thrive at altitudes of 600 meters or more, where cool mountain breezes moderate the sun’s intensity, allowing the grapes to develop concentrated flavors and a distinct mineral character. This rugged and refined setting provides the natural canvas on which Frey’s winemaking philosophy is built.
With a passion for a career that intertwined travel and immersion in nature, Pedro Frey left a business partnership in Lisbon to embrace the untamed beauty of his ancestral vineyards. In 2013, he began crafting wines under his own name, working from a small house that has become both a personal retreat and a creative workshop. His journey from city life to the serene, high-altitude vineyards of the Douro captures a desire to produce wines that reflect not just the land but also a free-spirited approach to artisanal winemaking.
At the heart of Frey’s method is a commitment to natural practices. The vineyards are managed with an ethos of minimal intervention, with grapes grown naturally and allowed to ferment spontaneously using wild, indigenous yeasts. This approach preserves the genuine expression of the fruit and soil without reliance on additives or excessive manipulation. In the winery, the combination of several modern steel tanks and carefully selected used French oak barrels is employed to shape the finished wines, ensuring that the inherent character of the terroir is not overshadowed by conformance to traditional Douro styles.
Every element of production reflects Pedro Frey’s hands-on involvement and personal touch. The process is entirely “handcrafted,” from the meticulous bottling, corking, labeling, and waxing to the careful monitoring of each fermentation. His dedication to producing naturally grown, wild-fermented, and unfined wines results in expressions that are as expressive as they are idiosyncratic. Frey’s wines are not aimed at conforming to the conventional DOC Douro style but instead celebrate the unpredictability and rich complexity of their origins.
The wines themselves are rich and complex, occasionally displaying a quirky elegance that challenges expectations while delivering undeniable pleasure. Frey’s philosophy of embracing the distinctiveness of his vineyard’s altitude and granite soils shines through in each bottle, offering wines that are vibrant, nuanced, and evocative of the surrounding rugged landscape. Meanwhile, his global adventures in Australia and Italy, undertaken alongside like-minded friends, have broadened his perspective and reinforced his commitment to crafting wines that are innovative yet deeply rooted in the authenticity of their terroir.
