Coming Home: Why We Brought 93% of Our Production Back to Portugal
For years, 93% of our production went abroad. In 2020 we reversed course: today half stays in Portugal. The story of a producer who chose silence over competitions.
## The Pinhal da Torre story isn''t about medals. It''s about patience, silence and a long-awaited reunion with the Portuguese market. When a wine producer decides not to enter competitions, it''s an uncomfortable choice. It means trusting the judgement of time, of demanding critics and — above all — of the people who actually drink the wine, rather than a hurried tasting panel. At Pinhal da Torre, in the heart of the Tejo region, in Alpiarça, that choice took us far. Perhaps too far. ## The paradox of a Portuguese producer almost no one in Portugal knew For years we were a well-kept secret. The thing is, we weren''t keeping it in Portugal. At the peak of our export strategy, **93% of our production** crossed borders. United States, Brazil, China, Nordic markets. *Wine Enthusiast* gave us "Editor''s Choice". The demanding American importer Robert Kacher — who for decades bought only French wines — chose us. And in Portugal? Few even knew we existed. Why? The answer is simple and uncomfortable: the domestic market was saturated. We preferred to go far rather than stay small. But a pandemic, a world that changed, and a conviction that could no longer wait made us rethink everything. ## 2020: The year we decided to come home The turning point wasn''t dramatic. It was practical. With foreign markets unstable and travel suspended, we looked inwards. And we saw a country that had also changed. Portuguese consumers were more attentive, more demanding, more willing to pay for what they recognised as authentic. Today the balance has flipped: **50% of our production stays in Portugal.** And a significant share of the country''s best restaurants, from the Algarve to the North, now carry Pinhal da Torre on the list. ## What "coming back" means for those who never made noise For many producers, "entering the domestic market" means campaigns, events, huge tastings, presence at every fair. For us it meant something harder: staying quiet, but getting closer. Our philosophy hasn''t changed. We still: - **Wait** — every wine rests in our cellar for at least 3 years before release. A huge cost in storage and tied-up capital. But a guarantee that no one ever drinks an immature Pinhal da Torre wine. - **Grow without rush** — 5 tonnes per hectare, around 20 different varieties, and an Annual Organic Viticulture Plan that treats grapes for what they are: fruit, not commodity. - **Refuse competitions** — the only competition that interests us is with ourselves, vintage after vintage. ## The hidden asset that made us pioneers You may not know it, but we were the **first Portuguese producer to put Braille labelling** on our bottles. It''s not a marketing gesture. It''s a conviction: wine is for everyone, and excellence is measured in the small details no one sees. We also run the **Happy Grapes Program®**. An internal commitment, never used as advertising, that ensures every cluster reaches the winery at the right moment — no water stress, no rush, no violence. ## Where to start, if you''ve never tasted our wines If this is the first time you hear about Pinhal da Torre — welcome. If you knew us from export markets — we''re glad to meet you again. The natural entry point is the **Alqueve Reserva** range: | Wine | Grapes | Ageing | Price | |---|---|---|---| | Alqueve Reserva White 2023 | Four undisclosed varieties | 6 months in oak | €13.50 | | Alqueve Reserva Red 2022 | Touriga Nacional and Sousão | 6 months in oak | €13.50 | Vibrant, gastronomic profiles with bright acidity and elegant tannins. The perfect entry to a universe built slowly. Then, for those who want to go deeper: - **Resoluto White** — depth and persistence. - **Grenache** — pure elegance. What happens when a southern variety is handled with Burgundian precision. - **Protagonista Red** — our statement of principles. Wild fruit, fine tannin, a wine that asks for time in the glass and in memory. ## One small request If you''ve read this far and enjoyed the story, **share it**. We don''t have a budget for million-euro campaigns, and we don''t want one. What we have is people who drink our wines and, if they like them, talk about them. That''s our competition. And your opinion is the only prize that matters to us. --- *Pinhal da Torre — Alpiarça, Tejo. Wines that aren''t tasted in a hurry.*