Italian winemaking consultant Riccardo Cotarella has entered his first collaboration in Portugal, joining forces with Luisa Amorim and Amorim Family Estates in a cross-border partnership spanning three of the country’s leading wine regions.
Regarded as one of the most influential oenologists in the world, Cotarella will work across Amorim Family Estates’ Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo in the Douro and Taboadella in Dão, as well as Luisa Amorim’s personal project, Herdade Aldeia de Cima in the Alentejo.
The collaboration brings together two long-standing wine families and aims to deepen dialogue between Portuguese and Italian viticultural traditions, with a particular focus on mountain viticulture, indigenous grape varieties and parcel-driven winemaking.
Cotarella said the diversity of Portugal’s native grapes was a major draw, describing the country’s natural aptitude for blending as “a rare art in the wine world”.
“Working here is inspiring: there is rigor, sensitivity and a natural harmony that transforms complexity into beauty, providing the conditions to create wines of truly global expression. I come here to learn and to share,” he said.
For Luisa Amorim, the partnership represents another step in a long-term strategy centred on authenticity, sustainability and what she describes as “mosaic viticulture” – the exploration of nano and micro-parcels of indigenous varieties. Her portfolio spans three distinct terroirs, from the steep mountain vineyards of the Douro to the granite soils of Dão and the high-altitude landscapes of Alentejo.
Cotarella’s expertise in phenolic ripeness, micro-vinification and varietal expression will help elevate each site while respecting its individual character, Luisa said: “Working with Riccardo means working with wisdom and with a great friend. His experience and attention to detail make him a master at elevating terroir to its highest expression.”
The project will be supported by established in-house winemaking teams across the estates, including António Bastos and Eduardo Leite at Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo, Rodrigo Costa at Taboadella and António Cavalheiro at Herdade Aldeia de Cima.
Beyond technical input, the collaboration is positioned as a cultural exchange between generations and geographies, reinforcing Portugal’s growing reputation for premium, terroir-led wines on the global stage.
The Amorim family has been involved in wine since the late 19th century, originally through cork production for Port houses in Vila Nova de Gaia. Since 1999, Luisa Amorim has led the family’s wine interests, developing a portfolio focused exclusively on indigenous varieties and parcel-specific winemaking.
