Some decisions about what belongs at Standing Fox were made long before us.
Avesso and Arinto were already rooted in these terraces when we arrived. Our oldest vines date to 1931, with further plantings from 1999 and the early 2000s. They are part of the agricultural memory of the Quinta.
Avesso is particularly connected to Baião. In this warmer inland part of Vinho Verde, it can achieve generosity and depth while retaining freshness. Arinto brings another kind of energy: acidity, citrus character, precision and tension.
We wanted to preserve that history.
But respecting history does not require us to stop experimenting.
We planted Touriga Nacional, one of Portugal’s great red varieties, whose dark fruit, floral character and structure immediately appealed to us.
Alongside it, we began small plantings of international varieties including Chardonnay, Syrah, Viognier, Merlot and, most recently, Nebbiolo.
Some choices are traditional. Others are deliberately curious.
We are not planting international varieties to make Santa Cruz do Douro resemble somewhere else. We are interested in the opposite question: what do these grapes become here?
The vineyard now contains different generations and different ideas. Old Portuguese vines stand alongside young Portuguese and international plantings. Some have already shown us what they can do. Others need years before we will know.
That uncertainty is part of the attraction.
The place remains the constant. The varieties are different ways of asking it questions.
