In 1974, the year of Portugal’s Carnation Revolution, João António Cerdeira and his wife Palmira became the first people to plant Alvarinho grapes in Melgaço, in the northernmost part of the country’s Vinho Verde region. Originally working from his family’s garage (in place of their old red Ford Estate), João produced wines under the Soalheiro name from 1982, including a pioneering sparkling Alvarinho in 1995. Championing this white grape has become Soalheiro’s modus operandi and its wines are globally recognized for their brightness and intensity.