Castiço wines are made by Cave Central da Bairrada. The company was founded in 1924 by José Ferreira Tavares, and was named “José Ferreira Tavares Lda.” at that time. The main activity was the production of aerated sparkling wine. After several owners, the company was acquired in 1977 by Américo Matos. The company is now run by the 3rd generation of the Matos family.
In 2002, Cave Central da Bairrada decided to follow a new path and make a radical change in the production process in order to improve quality and monitor market trends. With the new process, there is no longer carbon dioxide addition to the wines, thus they acquire their own gas, by natural fermentation in closed vats – “Charmat Method”. They also started producing sparkling wines.
