We arrived at Sanguinal late and in the dark to be warmly welcomed by the owner's niece, Ana; but soon Carlos da Fonseca, the owner, arrived to greet us - a genial, intelligent man with a very patient and kindly manner. Here and there strategically placed lights meant we could see well-tended exotic shrubs and plants as we scrunched over the gravel surface, and were led into the winery. What a dramatic sight! There were 5 huge lagars for the traditional foot treading of the grapes and above each one, absolutely massive beams of timber. These are the biggest lagars in Portugal.
Carlos then explained how these presses worked. The ends are attached to large and heavy stone weights and as the grapes are crushed within a wall of coiled ropes, and after 'the point of balance' is reached, the stones would be forced to rise under pressure then gravity would do its work. By the following day, the stones would be back on the floor having slowly and gradually, but relentlessly, exerted the required pressure to complete the extraction of juice. Interestingly, I've since discovered that Frank Potts, the founder of Bleasedale Winery in Langhorne Creek, South Australia constructed a similar wine press back in 1862 from a ten metre, 35 tonne Red Gum tree. Frank, who had been a sailor since the age of 9, and later became a ship's carpenter, claimed the technology, which he had first observed in Portugal, provided a slower, more gradual pressing of the grapes without any mechanical intervention.
Carlos then explained how these presses worked. The ends are attached to large and heavy stone weights and as the grapes are crushed within a wall of coiled ropes, and after 'the point of balance' is reached, the stones would be forced to rise under pressure then gravity would do its work. By the following day, the stones would be back on the floor having slowly and gradually, but relentlessly, exerted the required pressure to complete the extraction of juice. Interestingly, I've since discovered that Frank Potts, the founder of Bleasedale Winery in Langhorne Creek, South Australia constructed a similar wine press back in 1862 from a ten metre, 35 tonne Red Gum tree. Frank, who had been a sailor since the age of 9, and later became a ship's carpenter, claimed the technology, which he had first observed in Portugal, provided a slower, more gradual pressing of the grapes without any mechanical intervention.
Carlos then took us to another building within the winery where he showed us and explained the workings of a wonderfully intricate steam-driven system for the production of Bagaceira - the Portuguese equivalent of the 'evil' Grappa! It may be nothing less than 'paint-stripper' to some, but I love the stuff myself and relish its grapey complexities.
Here we sat down to taste a range of excellent wines of sublime character and elegance. To me, they were the epitome of modern Portuguese wines, distinctly Portuguese, but repositioned and refined. My favourite white was a dry Muscat with 40% Arinto added for acidic backbone. It was delightfully flowery and fragrant on the nose, utterly delicious with concentrated grapey fruit on the palate, and a clean bone-dry finish. My favourite red was the Quinta Sanguinhal 2000, a blend of Tinto Miúda, Castelão and Aragonez, just fabulous! Delicious fruit and tannins and a very pleasing finish. The final treat was a Port style liquoroso made from Castelão in a Tawny style – not like a Port though, delicious but lighter. It reminded me of a Banyuls.
Our visit was a thoroughly informative, educative, and pleasurable experience throughout, from the historic and technical detail to the tasting of the wines. It was a privilege to listen to a master winemaker of long experience, unassumingly demonstrating such passion and commitment for his historic winery and wine production.
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