Frenchman with a rib from Algarve
Guillaume Leroux, born in Paris, the son of a Portuguese mother and French father Lakes of Brittany, is one of them. Did training in viticulture and oenology in Montpellier and a graduate degree in biotechnology in Porto, in partnership with an Australian university. There he met some Portuguese reference winemakers and went to the Douro, where he spent the Taylor’s, the Quinta do Côtto and the Quinta do Tedo, and there was five years, gaining experience and knowledge and contacting with the world of deep wine.
“The Douro was a practical school, a fundamental experience to know and understand the world of wine and especially viticulture. Ali learned to know the land and all its components, which gave me experience to choose the best solutions in the Algarve, “said the NS ‘.
The maternal grandfather, born in Sagres, once bought a farm near Lagos which had just surround vineyards. In 1998, Guillaume began to devise their own project, after his great dream. Walked to examine traditional Portuguese grape varieties when discovered Bastardinho Sagres, almost extinct. Studied soils, made comparisons, researched and started to plant Bastard and Alfrocheiro in red, Arinto and Perrum whites. Planted, modernized, innovated – but without using irrigation, one of his stubbornness, always thinking of making wines of upper middle range.
“I want to continue to make simple, natural wines, from Thursday, but top quality. That is my goal. And while I can, I will not use irrigation in my vineyards, is a stubbornness of mine! ”
For the winery was buying second-hand equipment but with the required minimum quality often rudimentary, adapting it to what he intended to do, which was good wine, developing his idea of the wine producer, farm wine.
There currently are marketing their Monte White Casteleja, rosé and red, and the red Selection Maria, a more sophisticated, special wine. With the help of his wife, sells its wine directly to the restoration in the art and the cellar door shops, trying to maintain an independence that considers fundamental.
The producer never is satisfied and always looking for new solutions, such as broad beans planting of the vineyards, in his time, which, besides being aesthetically interesting, will give natural nutrients to the soil and, immediately afterwards, food our plates with snacks like some beans with chorizo and coriander.