A Buddhist monk, a shared bottle of wine, an encounter with Dionysus – this is how Vasco Croft describes the moment that changed everything.
Aphros Wine is the result: a biodynamic project in the Lima Valley of Vinho Verde, where the former architect has been crafting wines on the family estate Casal do Paço since 2003.
Croft is regarded as a pioneer of biodynamics in Portugal. His wines are made with wild yeasts in granite lagares and a minimum of sulphur.
From Architect to Amphora Master
When you meet Vasco Croft, you encounter no typical winemaker. The Lisbon native studied architecture, discovered
Rudolf Steiner's anthroposophy, taught at Waldorf schools and designed furniture. In his thirties, he converted to Buddhism. It was only a mystical encounter with a monk, during which a bottle of wine was shared, that led him in 2003 to the half-abandoned family estate Casal do Paço – a property in the
Lima Valley that has belonged to his family since the 17th century.
What began as a spiritual quest became a mission: Croft set out to
lead Portugal into the world of biodynamics. Today he manages over 20 hectares across several quintas and is regarded as one of the pioneers of a movement that has long been established in France with winemakers such as
Huet.
A Cosmos of Forest, Wine and Wildlife
Casal do Paço is more than a winery – it is an
ecological masterpiece. The granite house from the 16th century with its small chapel forms the centrepiece. Surrounding it: six hectares of vineyard, chestnut groves, centuries-old oaks and eucalyptus forests. Wild boar roam through the undergrowth, foxes hunt at dusk, eagles circle above the hills.
Between the vine rows graze
mountain horses and sheep, bees pollinate the wildflowers. Special water cascades enliven the water according to biodynamic principles. The vines are treated exclusively with plant extracts – chemistry has no place here.
Two Cellars, Two Worlds
In 2015, Croft opened two celleries that could not be more different. The
modern cellar serves the classical line – wines such as the
Aphros Loureiro or the Aphros Daphne are created here with controlled temperature and stainless steel tanks.
The
medieval cellar in Padreiro, by contrast, operates entirely without electricity. Here the
Phaunus wines from
Loureiro and Vinhão ferment in clay amphorae – using methods thousands of years old. The
Phaunus Loureiro Amphora spends months on the skins, developing texture and depth such as would be unthinkable in conventional Vinho Verdes.
Wines Between Lightness and Depth
The grape varieties are without exception
autochthonous: Loureiro for crisp, fresh whites with notes of lime and bay leaf. Vinhão for dark, juicy red wines with cool spice – such as the powerful
Aphros Vinhão. Plus Arinto and Alvarelhão in small quantities.
In the cellar, grapes are trodden by foot in
centuries-old granite lagares. Only wild yeasts. No fining. No filtration. A maximum of 25 milligrams of sulphur per litre at bottling. Even the timing of harvest, racking and filling are guided by the
astronomical calendar.
The result: wines that preserve the unadulterated freshness of Vinho Verde whilst simultaneously revealing a complexity that one would not expect from the region.
