The story of Soalheiro began in 1974, when João António Cerdeira, with the help of his parents and his wife, Palmira Cerdeira, decided to take a risk and plant the first continuous Alvarinho vineyard in Melgaço. That plot, which gave the brand its name, was the starting point for a path filled with passion and pioneering spirit. In 1982, our winery was born, and with it the first “Clássico” wine, which still today remains a symbol of our identity.

Today, the family’s first vineyard lies at the heart of the patchwork that covers Monção and Melgaço — a unique landscape made up of small Alvarinho plots, each with its own story, each deeply rooted in this land. 

Here lives the minifúndio. For many growers, Alvarinho is much more than a part-time occupation — it is a passion that blooms in the evenings and on weekends, a supplementary income that helps support families, and a bond that unites the community. It is also resilience: against coastal migration, against emigration, in favour of a future with greater social and territorial cohesion.

Soalheiro is part of this web of stories. Today, it brings together more than 200 families, between our team and the Viticulturist Club. And it proudly continues to be a family-run company, now led by mother and daughter, Palmira and Maria João Cerdeira. In 2024, António Luís Cerdeira — son and brother — transferred his shares in Soalheiro and started a new wine project alongside his son Manuel.

The Alvarinho of Monção and Melgaço is now recognised as one of the great white wines of the world. But for us, its potential is still far from exhausted. The diversity of family viticulture and the unique natural conditions of Monção and Melgaço are the starting point for an endless pursuit: valuing Alvarinho, valuing the land, valuing the people.

This pursuit takes shape in the Innovation Cellar, where we explore the limits of the grape variety; in the wine tourism project, which welcomes the world without losing its family essence; and in the world of aromatic plants, with The Pur Terroir infusions, revealing new flavours and aromas of this same land.

This is the virtuous cycle of innovation and sustainability that began in 1974, when the first vineyard was planted. At a time when little was said about innovation and sustainability, each gesture and each choice here already embodied an attitude that withstands time: moving forward with feet firmly rooted in this land.