This is what we do
Wine Making
A new chapter in wine making
It’s pretty simple until it’s not. Our goal is to grow the best quality fruit in the vineyards, representing the sites purest form and climatic conditions of the year.
In the cellar, our goal is simply to preserve that quality all the way to the bottle. We aim to make fresh and elegant wines in a warm climate, showcasing the diversity of our terroirs and preserving the vitality that comes from thoughtful farming practices.
An ode to the pre-1990s Alentejo, before power and opulence became a mainstay.
Harvesting
In order to do so, the picking dates are crucial, and sometimes, one day can make all the difference. We look for fresh fruit flavors and pick to retain crunchy natural acidity in the grapes. Our grapes are hand-harvested during the cool of night, with the help of headlights and a loudspeaker playing the same ‘Pimba’ playlist on repeat.
For many of our vineyards, we maintain a small batch approach, picking parcel by parcel, many times breaking them into further sub parcels, or ‘polygons,’ that have been teased out from our work on terroir with our consultant Pedro Parra. We keep many of these batches separate throughout the winemaking process to help build our understanding of the place over the years.
In the cellar
After picking, the grapes arrive fresh in the cellar in the morning, where they are carefully hand-sorted. Often, a percentage of whole clusters are preserved depending on the year and vineyard parcel. When we destem, we do it gently to keep the whole berries intact.
All fermenters are filled and emptied by gravity. Since 2020, we ferment using exclusively native yeasts. We adhere to an infusion approach during the maceration, wetting the cap gently during the fermentation period, after which the tanks are drained and pressed using a vertical basket press.
For the fermentation and aging, we use a mixture of stainless steel tanks, smaller and larger format neutral oak, cement, clay and glass vessels, depending on the parcel and the wine. We rely on time to stabilize our wines naturally. Many of our wines are only bottled after two winters in the cellar.
During the winemaking process, minimal amounts of SO2 are added to preserve the purity of the wines.
Olive Oil
Like wine, olive oil has been produced in our region for millennia and is deeply linked to our Alentejan culture and traditions.
The grapevine and the olive trees have long grown together in a real polycultural relationship.
Picking
Once the grape harvest is in the cellar, the olives become ready to be picked around October. This lets us keep our agricultural team busy during the otherwise quiet post-harvest period.
As we avoid making treatment sprays in our olive groves, we pick them when the fruit is still green, leading us to a more spicy and vibrant oil.
Our new centenary olive trees
Recently, we added 2000 centenary olive trees of the local Galega variety to our farm. They were transplanted from a neighboring property, replaced with a super-intensive olive plantation, and were going to be sold as firewood.
These trees are the essence of the authentic ancestry of Alentejo, and we are happy to be able to give them a new home on our farm and make a special olive oil from them.
Furthermore, we have 40ha of Cobrançosa and Picual varieties, planted by Hans and Carrie in the 90s.
Lour-inho
2021
The essence of coastal Alentejo is a fresh, mineral white from the sandy terroir just 3km from the ocean.
Salino
2020
Fruit of the restlessness and irreverence of Anna Jorgensen and Dirk Niepoort. A 100% Loureiro wine that reveals the saline personality of the Alentejo coast.
Salino
2021
The pure essence of the Alentejan Atlantic coast. From a single vineyard nestled in the foothills of the S. Luis Range where the River Mira meets the Ocean.
Uma
2019
Born in the Serra de São Mamede at 700 meters of altitude. Produced only once, from 70-year-old vines, with plenty of Castelão.
Trilogia de Terroirs: Areia, Granito e Calcário
2021
In 2021, as a result of the ongoing work of studying our soils aided by consultant Pedro Parra, we selected the best 500L barrel from the best vineyard in each of our 3 soil types – sand, limestone and granite – while keeping as many of the other variables constant. This is a 100% single vineyard Syrah from a east facing slope behind our winery in Vidigueira.
Incógnito
2021
Our iconic wine, born an outlaw in 1998 when Syrah wasn’t allowed in the Alentejo. Rich in history and provenance, the 2021 vintage marks the 16th edition of this wine and presents itself as a refined version, fruit of our best silty limestone terroir, regenerative organic farming and minimal intervention in the cellar.
