Nua Cider - Tiago Sampaio & Miguel Viseu

The natural cider revolution from the high-altitude terraces of the Douro.

Nua Cider is the visionary project of two renowned Portuguese winemakers, Tiago Sampaio (of Folias de Baco) and Miguel Viseu (of Aphros Wine). Bringing their extensive expertise in minimal-intervention winemaking to the world of pomology, they have created one of Portugal's most exciting natural cider labels. "Nua"—meaning "Naked" in Portuguese—perfectly encapsulates their philosophy: cider stripped of all additives, presenting the fruit in its purest, most transparent form.

The project is rooted in the high-altitude terroir of the Douro valley (around 600m elevation), where the granite soils and cool nights provide the perfect conditions for acidity and tension. Unlike the industrial ciders common in the region, Nua is crafted from ancient, "forgotten" apple varieties sourced from old mountain orchards. These trees, often neglected in favor of vineyards, are now being rehabilitated to showcase a side of Portuguese heritage that is rarely seen on the international stage.

In the cellar, Tiago and Miguel apply a strict "low-tech" approach. The fruit is hand-harvested and pressed, followed by a slow fermentation driven entirely by wild yeasts (levures indigènes). The cider is bottled using the Ancestral Method (Pét-Nat), with no filtration, no pasteurization, and zero added sulfites. The result is a revelation: bone-dry, vibrant, and incredibly "vinous" ciders that bridge the gap between mountain wine and farmhouse cider. With its electric acidity and saline finish, Nua Cider is a sophisticated expression of a wild, high-altitude landscape.