Quinta Sant'Ana

Quinta Sant'Ana by ANTHONY STOCKBRIDGE

 
“Welcome to Quinta de Sant’ Ana,” says tall, lanky James Frost, the quintessential English gentlemen, as he welcomes us to his gorgeous bougainvillea-bedecked winery, lit up by the sun against an expanse of bright blue sky. Sant’ Ana is a seventeenth century structure, a series of charming saffron-coloured buildings connected by a cobblestone walkway.



James’ German in-laws had purchased the property in the 1960s and today it is a place for growing vines, making wines, and holding weddings.

First, we tour the vineyards. James explains that he is growing several different varietals, many of them new to Portugal such as Riesling and Pinot Noir. Vine management is rigorous here, with three men employed to work steadily on the vines from February to harvest for there is much to be done. The trellis system is arranged so that the wires holding the vines can be raised as the vines grow. Because of the uncertain weather conditions, workers always need to be managing the canopy. Yet sometimes the weather plays tricks – it could be so cold and rainy in summer that the leaves are thinned opening the canopy so the grapes can get sunlight, then suddenly it is blazing hot for a month. Riesling in particular – and surprisingly, as it is a German cold climate grape – has difficultly with wet weather and sunburns easily. Pinot Noir becomes dehydrated if it is left too long in the sun without a shielding canopy.

We tour the winery where some old-fashioned wooden fermentation tanks have been refitted with stainless steel interiors, and there is an old-fashioned lagar. For Pinot Noir, the grapes get a cold soak and then three workers (or friends) jump in every four hours for two days to stomp the grapes in Lucy Ricardo fashion from the mid-century television show ‘I love Lucy’. Then the grapes are transferred via gravity to the fermentation tank below.

At lunch, in a charming reception hall used for wineries, we taste the Riesling and the other varietals produced. The Riesling is delicious, very high in acidity with the signature aroma of petrol. There is very little fruit in the 2009 though we are told the 2010 has a great deal of fruit. Weddings are a big business here, with over fifty a year. James and his wife have seven children, from twins of a few months to a twenty year old who calls during our lunch with a question for Dad. The Frosts also sponsor a wine festival in aid of a local charity. The property is gorgeous, and the wines quite good – you can find them at www.wineincornwall.co.uk.

Quinta Sant’Ana, Gradil near Mafra by KEN SHEATHERS

Blue sky, sunshine and our first visit of the day to meet James Frost (and the inevitable vineyard dogs) at his family’s vineyard in the small village of Gradil.  We had sadly missed the village annual wine fair by a few days.

The estate has been in the family from the late sixties and has benefited from a planned programme of modernisation in the winery and careful choice of plantings to make the most of matching rootstock, varietals and clones to the soils, both loamy/sandy clay and limestone.

The viticulture is meticulous balancing vine density, leaf trimming, yield reduction and a leaning towards the protection of beneficial organisms.  The varietals chosen are, for the reds, Touriga Nacional, Aragonêz, Merlot and Pinot Noir while Fernão Pires, Alvarinho, Verdelho, Sauvignon Blanc and Riesling represent the whites.  António Maçanita, the resident oenologist, favours whole bunch picking and pressing at the coolest part of the day for the whites, followed by rapid cooling of the must to 10°C then a prolonged fermentation between 10°C - 12°C to maximise the fruit and freshness.

Of the wines we tasted, my favourite was the ’09 Riesling (12.5%ABV), pale lemon in colour with a touch of petrol.  It had developed very well for a wine so young.

As a bonus we were able to taste “Água Pé”, a very weak wine traditionally consumed in copious quantities at festivals in the autumn and winter.