Não Condenado

Very old “backyard” vineyards in the rural area north of Lisbon farmed by grandmothers and planted by their grandfathers. The wine from these 120-150-year-old vines was originally a product the local farmers would make for their personal consumption or to be commercialized locally,  along with the olive oil, vegetables, fruit, and animals they also raised. The next generation has moved away to find jobs elsewhere, leaving the vines to grow wild. So, André Gomes, the winemaker at Quinta do Montalto in Lisboa, took action to save these historic vineyards. André organically farms  two old- vine parcels in the Encostas d'Aire DOP, where the chalky soils and cool sea breezes from the Atlantic Ocean give the wines a fresh acidity.  André uses a traditional Portuguese method of blending red and white grapes called 'palhete', which was described by the local monks centuries ago.  Both white and red grapes are destemmed, crushed, and allowed to start fermenting spontaneously in unlined, open-top concrete tanks. The wine  ages in concrete tanks with no temperature control until the following summer, when it is bottled without filtration and just a minimal addition of sulfur.