Sónia Raposo and Pedro Marques have dedicated the last four years to finding old vineyards in the municipality of Torres Vedras, less than an hour drive from Lisbon, and still part of the "Lisboa wine region".
This area is very special because several traditional Portuguese varieties can still be found here. Sonia and Pedro spent many weekends sharing beers and coffees with the locals, trying to find owners of small plots with old vines willing to rent or sell. The couple's goal is the recovery and recognition of traditional grape varieties, especially of Castelão and Tinta Miúda (known as Graciano in Rioja, Spain).
In Torres Vedras the Atlantic influence predominates, but Las Vedras manages to practice an organic agriculture.
They now take care of several small parcels totaling 2.5 hectares with ages ranging from 30 to 80 years old. All the plots are on hillsides, with clay-limestone soils, with difficult access, and therefore difficult to mechanize. Nobody said this was going to be easy!
From the "Pêro Negro" plot, Las Vedras makes three wines, and we tasted two of them:
• Pêro Negro branco (white) 2019, made with Fernão Pires, Seminário (Palomino in Jerez, Spain) and Alicante Branco, from a forty-year-old vineyard. One and a half day maceration, pressing followed by fermentation and aging in 600-liter barrels for two years. For Pedro, the main challenge has been trying to convey freshness in a wine that has three varieties with a known deficit of acidity. They embrace the challenge naturally, as they believe trying to shape the vines to achieve the winemaker's goals is part of the pleasure of working in viticulture.
• Pêro Negro tinto (red) 2019 is a blend of 90% Castelão and 10% Tinta Miúda. In an attempt to give the wine good aging potential, they use 100% of stems. Pedro says that working the Castelão grapes this way is interesting, adding some tannins and extending the wine's longevity. As for the Tinta Miúda, Pedro likes that it retains acidity and freshness like no other. The past few years have been very hot and Tinta Miúda has been balanced. "We want to cherish it, study it, and rely on it for our future blends", says Pedro.
• From the 80-year-old vineyards in "Portela do Bispo" plot, we tasted "en primeur" the first production of "Portela do Bispo tinto (red) 2020. The grapes are a very mixed field blend with predominance of Tinta Miúda. Vinified with crushing, foot treading, fermented for 20 months in old barrels and 6 more months in stainless steel tanks. The wine has a noticeable vegetal freshness, and when very young it gives a somewhat austere impression.
LAS VEDRAS - “Pêro Negro” Branco 2019
LAS VEDRAS - “Pêro Negro” Tinto 2019
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