Mateus Nicolau de Almeida "Mater Dome" Meda Branco 2023

Press 4 Mix/White • February/March 2026 Direct Press Selection

Mateus Nicolau de Almeida is a fifth generation winemaker in Portugal's Douro region. Hailing from a family with a deep history in Port production, Mateus has branched out to explore the different subzones of the Douro through the lens of dry red and white wines. He and his partner Teresa Ameztoy work everything organically and biodynamically and make their cellar named Shad's Winery, after the fish that used to swim from the Atlantic up the Douro River before the river was dammed. Their label also sports this fish. 

'Mater Dome' is a line of his wines that showcase the Méda sub-region of the Douro, which Mateus has been trying to rescue from obscurity. Here he is working with native varieties Rabigato, Siria, Gouveio, and Viosinho planted on granite and schist. The wines are made in a more Burgundian style, aging in 700 liter foudrè. This makes for a salty, creamy wine that is substantial and weighty but never feels fatiguing. Instead it's complex, indulgent, and luxurious with top notes of ginger and citrus peel. Drink now or age for a decade: like many of the best Portuguese wines it has a gravitas that is far beyond what its price tag suggests. Jonathan Kemp