Vitivinicultural Commission accompanied the harvest of Negra Mole, the exclusive variety of the Algarve

This summer, the Algarve Wine Commission (CVA) monitored a harvest of Negra Mole grapes, an autochthonous variety, which, in genetic tests, was classified as the second oldest in the country.

The harvest was partly done in vines from 1942, standing upright on sandy soil, so typical of the Algarve region.

Anyone who is more informed about wine varieties or usually looks for a wine that expresses all the particular identity of a variety (single-caste wines, as they are vinified above all with one type of grape), may have already heard of, and even tasted, a wine made only with Negra Mole – the most emblematic variety in the Algarve – and which was once the most used in the region for the production of its regional wines.

Negra Mole is spread throughout the region, being one of the main, or even the only ones to be part of the famous and typical Algarvian Palhetes and Claretes.

For the less knowledgeable, Palhetes can be obtained with a mixture of white and red grapes. In the case of the Algarve, the mixture was natural and made with only Negra Mole grapes, as, in most cases, plots of this variety often contain white, pink and red grapes, making a natural mixture of lighter and darker must and the result was a red wine with a very open color, lighter in flavor and very aromatic and fruity.

“We drank very slightly fresh and, of course, it combined perfectly with the heat and the Algarve cuisine, which on the coast was very fish and vegetable based,” explains the CVA in a press release.

Times have changed and so have tastes, but there has been a gradual trend towards the recovery of some traditions, introducing «innovation and, above all, more quality and rigor».

According to the Wine Commission, «many producers are aware of the potential of the Negra Mole variety, which has the main advantage of existing only in the Algarve, at least with a quantity for the production of many liters of a different, original wine that expresses terroir well. regional".

Currently, there are about half a dozen references of wines vinified only with Negra Mole, between reds and roses, and also a Clarete, with a diverse and specific tasting of this variety, with quality productions, some of them awarded internationally.

In wines, one of the biggest difficulties in asserting a region is «to achieve something unique, original and that, preferably, combines it, with history and stories around it. The Algarve wine region has this differentiation. It's called Negra Mole, a unique variety in the world and only existing in the Algarve», concludes the CVA.

Photos: Vico Ughetto | HOW ARE YOU

Cargo of Black Mole to be taken to the Winery

The sandy soils are typical in the Algarve, and were responsible for containing the phylloxera pest, adapting to the variety very well.

The sandy soils are typical in the Algarve, and were responsible for containing the phylloxera pest, adapting to the variety very well.

Despite a delay of about 3 weeks, in general the harvests are going well.

Producer João Mariano is one of those who uses Negra Mole in winemaking

Producer João Mariano is one of those who uses Negra Mole in winemaking

The same vine can contain a vine with red-colored Negra Mole and on the side another vine, also of Negra Mole, with completely white grapes.

Typical bunch of Black Mole, usually of large size and quantity of grapes, with one of its most common colors with pink skin

The lack of labor for short-term work is one of the complaints of producers, who resort to temporary work recruiting workers from non-European countries, such as India, Pakistan or Thailand