Bojador Rose 2021
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Pale pink color. Minerality and fresh red fruit. Volume and nice freshness.
Pedro Ribeiro is the man behind the Espaço Rural wines. Though he is the head winemaker for another winery, he established Espaço Rural as a project of his own, to best express their own interpretation of what winemaking is and should be in the Alentejo and Lisboa regions where so many larger, more quantity-driven producers are located. Pedro moved to the Alentejo from another region of Portugal knowing that this was a land and region that offered the opportunity to make wines true to the historical traditions of the area.
The winemaker is happy to take a back seat and let the vines and land speak for themselves after years of love bringing them to their present state. Unlike many modern wineries in the area, the newer vines here are no longer irrigated...and the old vines...never have been. The low yields, careful pruning, and early harvest paired with slightly cooler microclimate in an otherwise severely hot region lead to some high impact, if unfamiliar wines.
"In Espaço Rural (Bojador) I made a selection of blocks that | believe express more the terroir of Vidigueira-Alentejo and Lisboa wine regions. The idea is to have grapes that show the minerality and freshness of our soils. For that we have totally organic procedures and the vinification is done with minimal intervention. It's always field blends, co-ferment and wild fermentation wines. We try to use not a lot of new oak barrels and we also use big oak vats in order to keep the freshness and authenticity of our fruit. The wines are fresh and vibrant. The idea is to have an extreme representation of our terroir that we love. We have a very small production of amphora wines, our tribute to this ancient vinification method so traditional from our wine region.” - Pedro Ribeiro
Whether it’s playful and fun or savory and serious, most rosé today is not your grandmother’s White Zinfandel, though that category remains strong. Pink wine has recently become quite trendy, and this time around it’s commonly quite dry. Since the pigment in red wines comes from keeping fermenting juice in contact with the grape skins for an extended period, it follows that a pink wine can be made using just a brief period of skin contact—usually just a couple of days. The resulting color depends on grape variety and winemaking style, ranging from pale salmon to deep magenta.
Responsible for a majority of Portugal’s fine wine production—and over half of the world’s cork production—Alentejo represents a major force in Portugal’s wine industry. This southern Portugese region is characterized by stretches of rolling plains and vineyards dotted with majestic cork oaks. Access to land enables the farmers of Alentejo to produce wines in great economies of scale, without compromising quality, compared to those regions to the north. The region of Alentejo indeed covers a third of the country.
Its classified (DOP) wines must come from one of eight subregions, where elevations are a bit higher, air cooler and less fertile soils are perfect for vines. The optimal regions are Portalegre, Borba, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Granja-Amareleja, Vidigueira, Evora and Moura. Alentejo is not without the conveniences of modern winemaking as well. Irrigation supplements low rainfall and temperature control in the winery assures high quality wines.
The potential of the area has attracted many producers and its wine production continues to grow. Alentejo’s charming, fruit-forward wines have naturally led to local and global popularity.
White wines tend to be blends of Antão Vaz, Roupeiro and Arinto. However, in growing proportions, the white grapes Verdelho, Alvarinho and Viognier have been enjoying success. But red varieties actually exceed whites in Alentejo. Aragonez, Trincadeira, Alicante Bouschet and Castelão grapes blend well together and are responsible for most of the Alentejo reds.