How Fria Frio Is Made: The Winemaker Behind the Wine
We fell for her wines first.
Bright, lively, impossibly fresh — the kind of Vinho Verde that makes you stop and pay attention. Then we met Joana Santiago herself: dynamic, joyful, completely unpretentious. A third-generation winemaker and one of Portugal's most respected independent producers, she makes some of the most exciting wine coming out of the country right now. And she makes it all look easy.
This is how Fria Frio gets made.
Wine runs in the family
Joana is a third-generation winemaker in Vinho Verde, which means she grew up knowing that great wine starts long before harvest — in the soil, in the vine, in paying attention to what the grapes want to become.
Her family has been part of this landscape for generations. That depth of knowledge isn't something you learn in a classroom or a harvest internship. It's accumulated over decades of watching the same vineyards through drought years and wet years, through early springs and late autumns, through all the small variables that make one vintage different from the last.
When we set out to find a winemaker for Fria Frio, we knew what we wanted: someone who could craft the most delicious, refreshing expression of Vinho Verde possible. We didn't expect to find someone like Joana. We got lucky.
For Fria Frio, we partnered Joana's expertise with a family-owned quinta in the Sousa sub-region of Vinho Verde — sustainably farmed, thoughtfully tended, with the kind of mineral-rich granitic soils and Atlantic breezes that make Vinho Verde taste like summer in a glass.
Freshness is everything
Here's something worth knowing about how Fria Frio is made: our grapes go from vine to winery in ten minutes.
Most wineries measure this journey in hours. Joana measures it in minutes. The grapes are handpicked in the cool morning air — at first light, before the sun can begin to warm and stress the fruit — into small 20kg boxes that prevent crushing under their own weight. From there they travel directly to the winery. Ten minutes, vine to tank.
Why does this matter? Because freshness isn't something you can add back later. It's either there from the start, or it's not. Every aromatic compound, every subtle flavor note, every bit of the Atlantic character that makes Fria Frio taste like it does — all of it is locked into the fruit at the moment of picking. Once it's gone, it's gone.
From there, the process is deliberately simple: de-stemming, pressing, fermentation in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. No oak, no tricks, no shortcuts. Just careful attention at every step — the kind of winemaking that gets out of the grapes' way and lets them do what they do best.
Tamlyn Currin of Jancis Robinson described the result as "dry, spritzy, and just damn good at a cracking 9.5% of alcohol." That's what ten minutes and good winemaking gets you. Shop Fria Frio White
The grapes that make it happen
Joana works exclusively with indigenous Portuguese varieties — grapes that have been growing in this region for generations and are found almost nowhere else in the world.
For the White: Loureiro, Trajadura, and Arinto. Each brings something different to the blend — Loureiro for aromatic freshness and floral lift, Trajadura for texture and roundness, Arinto for structure and bright acidity. Together they produce the luminous, citrus-forward, mineral-edged wine that Fria Frio White is.
For the Rosé: Espadeiro and Touriga Nacional. Espadeiro is native to the Minho region and brings the pale colour, the wild strawberry and red currant fruit, and the high natural acidity that defines the wine. Touriga Nacional adds aromatic complexity and depth — the same grape that forms the backbone of Port wine, here expressed in a completely different register: light, delicate, floral. [link: read more about Espadeiro and Touriga Nacional]
These grapes know the Atlantic. They know the Sousa terroir. In Joana's hands, they become something that reflects exactly where they came from.
"When you taste Fria Frio, you're tasting the Atlantic," Joana says. She's right. That freshness, that persistent finish, that feeling of being transported somewhere sunnier than wherever you're standing — it all comes from here.
What makes Joana different
There are plenty of talented winemakers working in Vinho Verde. What makes Joana different is harder to pin down precisely.
She's serious about her craft without being precious about it. She's technically brilliant — third-generation, classically trained, deeply connected to the land — but she never loses sight of the fact that wine should be, above all, delicious. Approachable. Something that makes people happy.
Master of Wine David Forer captures it: 'At its essence, Vinho Verde is about freshness and deliciousness. Fria Frio nails both with flair.' That flair is Joana.
The wines
Fria Frio Vinho Verde White — 9.5% ABV
Luminous citrine colour. Green apple, pear, and citrus on the nose, with hints of white flowers and a clean mineral backbone. Lively and fresh on the palate, with a gentle natural spritz and a finish that keeps going. The kind of wine that makes you want another glass before the first one's done.
Gluten-free. Vegan-friendly. Shop Fria Frio White
Fria Frio Vinho Verde Rosé — 10.5% ABV
Pale pink. Wild strawberry and red currant on the nose, with a delicate floral lift. Crisp and balanced on the palate — smooth, clean, with a lingering finish. Young and alive in the best possible way.
Gluten-free. Vegan-friendly. Shop Fria Frio Rosé
Both wines are naturally lower in alcohol — not because anything has been removed, but because Joana harvests the grapes early, in the cool morning air of the Sousa Valley, before they accumulate full sugar. Less sugar in the fruit means less alcohol in the wine. It's that simple, and that good.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who makes Fria Frio wine?
A: Fria Frio is made by Joana Santiago, a third-generation winemaker and one of Portugal's most respected independent producers, working with grapes from a certified sustainable family vineyard in the Sousa Valley sub-region of Vinho Verde, Northern Portugal.
Q: How is Vinho Verde made?
A: Vinho Verde is made from indigenous Portuguese grape varieties grown in the Minho region of northern Portugal. Grapes are typically harvested early — before full sugar accumulation — to preserve natural acidity and keep alcohol lower. Fermentation happens in stainless steel tanks, which preserves fresh fruit aromatics. For Fria Frio specifically, grapes travel from vine to winery in under ten minutes and are handpicked in 20kg boxes to prevent crushing.
Q: Why does Fria Frio have such low alcohol?
A: Fria Frio White (9.5% ABV) and Rosé (10.5% ABV) are naturally lower in alcohol because the grapes are harvested early in the cool, Atlantic-influenced climate of the Sousa Valley, before they accumulate maximum sugar. Less sugar during fermentation means less alcohol in the finished wine. Nothing is removed from the wine — it's simply lighter because the fruit was lighter to begin with.
Q: What grapes are used in Fria Frio White?
A: Fria Frio White is made from Loureiro, Trajadura, and Arinto — three indigenous Portuguese varieties native to the Vinho Verde region. Each contributes something different: Loureiro for aromatic freshness and floral character, Trajadura for texture, Arinto for structure and acidity.
Q: What grapes are used in Fria Frio Rosé?
A: Fria Frio Rosé is made from Espadeiro and Touriga Nacional — both indigenous to Northern Portugal. Espadeiro is native to the Minho region and gives the wine its pale colour, red berry fruit, and high natural acidity. Touriga Nacional — the grape behind Portugal's greatest Port and red wines — adds aromatic complexity and depth in a light, delicate register.
Q: Where is Fria Frio made?
A: Fria Frio is made at a winery in the Sousa Valley sub-region of the Vinho Verde DOC in Northern Portugal. The grapes come from a certified sustainable family vineyard in the same sub-region, travelling from vine to winery in under ten minutes.
Q: Is Fria Frio a natural wine?
A: Fria Frio is not classified as a "natural wine" in the formal sense — it uses controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks rather than spontaneous fermentation. However, it's made with minimal intervention, no added sugars or concentrates, no artificial colours, and from sustainably grown indigenous grapes. It's as clean and honest as winemaking gets.