«Scrambled, by Rui Virgínia». This is the only way to identify the two new wines from Quinta do Barranco Longo, launched a few days ago at an exclusive dinner for guests in São Bartolomeu de Messines, at which the Sul Informação participated.
On the label there is no indication of the region where the wines are produced, nor of the year, while the back label does not contain the usual discrimination of the varieties used. And this is an option of the young Algarve winemaker Rui Virgínia, owner of Quinta do Barranco Longo, near Algoz, in the municipality of Silves.
«It's been a 10-year project in a region that had no tradition of quality wines. I started little by little with rosés, then reds and whites. However, every producer aspires to make a wine superior to all others and, today, I believe I have two that are up to the best wines in Portugal – one white and one red – to whom I gave a name that represents a lot of my area and the Algarve”, said Rui Virgínia in the presentation of her “Remexido”.
Taking advantage of the rebellion of the historical figure who chose to name these top-of-the-range wines, which he presented as "icons" of his winery, Rui Virgínia explained why the labels have no reference to the Algarve.
«These are not, by my option, certified wines». Because, he explained, «a wine is recognized for its quality, it is not an entity that will say if it is good or not to go to the market, through a seal that it puts on the bottle. Consumer opinion is the true proof of the nine'.
«Remexido» was the nickname of an Algarvian guerrilla, born in Estômbar and who lived in Messines, two steps away from the place where the dinner to launch the new wines took place. He was a somewhat romantic guerrilla figure, who rebelled against the established order, a Miguelista who, in the XNUMXth century, fought against the Liberal troops of D. Pedro I and ended up being shot in Faro. He was also a kind of Robin of the Algarve woods, or so he was remembered in memoirs and legends.
It was, as Rui Virginia pointed out, "a rebellious spirit of the mountains". As rebels are the «Remexido» wines now launched, especially the red.
And how rebellious is the winegrower himself, used to defying the status quo of the wine sector, as when he launched, in 2008, a sparkling wine he called just «Quê» and which was the first and so far only sparkling wine ever produced in the Algarve . Rui Virgínia pointed out that the name “Remexido”, chosen for his new wines, for these top of the range, “signifies the sense of justice and the strangeness of the creation of certain laws, such as the creation of the Wine Commissions”. Now, he underlined, these Commissions are "unbearable and unsustainable in certain regions", namely "in a region like the Algarve, which has so few producers".
“It doesn't make any sense to be paying a stamp to an institution that does not have economic sustainability. The legislation we have is to do away with the small Wine Commissions, because they do not have the means to carry out the control and certification. It's all sand they want to throw in our eyes».
For this reason, he announced, «Barranco Longo will no longer certify its wines and will no longer use the word Algarve on its labels. I will use Vinhos de Silves, betting on a concept of land wines as is customary in Spain». "It's a decision I'm going to take soon, to stop certifying my wines."
As it is not certified, the top wine «Remexido» does not bear the word «Algarve», nor the year or the grape varieties, because the legislation does not allow it.
But Quinta do Barranco Longo prefers it that way, not least because Rui Virgínia has the wine analyzed in a certified laboratory at the University of Évora.
"The market will decide if we are good or not", he guaranteed. Therefore, added Rui Virgínia, "I want to be stirred up in a lot of things, but above all in the quality of my wines!"
The new «Remexido» wines, from Barranco Longo, were placed on the market last week, but, as always happens with the production of this farm, only in selected sales locations, such as Supermercados Apolónia, in the Algarve, or Loja Gourmet do El Corte Inglés, in Lisbon.
In all, 6600 bottles of red were produced, with the Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet, Cabernet-Sauvignon and Syrah varieties, and 1000 bottles of white, from the Arinto, Viognier and Chardonnay varieties.
Invited to the exclusive dinner to present the new «Remexido» wines, the mayor of Silves, who was even a teacher of Rui Virgínia, recalled the «great dream we have»: that of a bigger winery for Quinta do Barranco Longo .
The new winery, dedicated to wine tourism, should have a total area of two thousand square meters, two floors with several divisions, such as a store, a show room, a hall for events or parties, and a room with capacity for 120 people following a amphitheater model. For now, however, the winery is just a dream.
Barranco Longo: a success story
Producer Rui Virgínia, from Quinta do Barranco Longo, in Algoz, began his journey in 2001, venturing into the first microvinification trials, with a view to creating high quality products.
Two years later, the first wines were born, one rosé and two reds, under the Quinta do Barranco Longo insignia, in a production of seven thousand liters.
In 2005, Rui Virgínia already saw her production tripled, achieving, through high quality, that the product was recognized and positioned in the market.
Little by little, Quinta do Barranco Longo increases its production, so much so that, in the 2009 vintages, for example, 150 tonnes of grapes have already entered the winery, which corresponds to around 150 bottles.
It has been a path based on care and patience, supported by the progressive growth of the product's implantation in the market and the increase in its quality with each passing year.
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Photos of: Vasco Celio
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