Vinhos & Azeites do Alentejo | Wines & Olive Oils from the Alentejo
Vinhos & Azeites do Alentejo | Wines & Olive Oils from the Alentejo
We are a Danish-Portuguese family who has lived and worked around the world, where we often dragged our children. For years we wanted to get back to basics and a simpler lifestyle connected to nature. We finally made the decision in 2019 with things quickly going on standstill (because of the COVID epidemic) until 2021 where we were able to buy 12 hectares of vineyards in Reguengos de Monsaraz, a sub-region of the Alentejo.
Here we established Baena Mourão, a small family grape grower and winemaker, focused on quality wines (and olive oils) using local varieties, like Antão Vaz and Moreto, and sustainable farming practices. Yes, the hares eat the leaves of some of our plants, the boars dig up a few, and the birds eat some of the fruit, but we are OK with that, and enjoy seeing them and the partridges running through our vineyards calling to each other, while the falcons flying above keep an eye on them.
We focus on the Alentejo's winemaking heritage and tradition with our "Talha" wines: our red "Menina Ana" and white "Menino Thomas", named after our children, using local grape varieties and traditional wine-making techniques (back to Roman times) to produce our unique quality wines.
Our white variety of choice is Antão Vaz that we produce in different styles. A modern light aromatic and fresh fruity style, an amphora aged for a more flowery style, and lastly a Talha wine fermented and in clay amphora with skin and stem maceration for a more mineral and vegetal wine.
We work our Moreto (red) in the same styles as the Antão Vaz from a conventional light aromatic and fresh fruity red, aged in amphora for a light slightly richer wine, and a Talha fermented in clay amphora with skin and stem maceration for a fuller, richer, and more mineral and vegetal wine.
The regular lineup includes our Aragonez and Alicante Bouschet (a teinturier grape), whether as single varieties or blends. These are our top of the line wines only produced as Reservas and Grande Reservas, full of character, warmth and deep aromas of dark berries and a velvety mouthfeel.
As quality and experimental winemaker we also have fun every year producing the brand named "Caminho Torto" of small wine batches with other grape varieties and various production techniques such as "doble pasta", carbon maceration, "appasimento", etc. Quality wines that are surprising, adventurous, and exciting.
Currently we only have a dozen olive trees of the "Galega" varietal for our own use.
We currently have 13 hectares of vineyards located a few kilometers from Reguengos de Monsaraz, on the road to Évora, consisting mostly of an old shed and the grape varieties; Antão Vaz, Moreto, Aragonez, and Alicante Bouschet. We are restructuring and renewing them to adapt to the climatic and soil conditions. Hot summer days with plenty of scorching sunshine and cool evenings, moderate winters and sandy clay loam soils with significant quantities of granite rock. A typical Mediterranean biome.