Adega Malápio
(Winery in Bairrada)
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About Winery and Wines
An amphora wine adventure in Bairrada. Romeu Martins, artisanal winemaker from Bairrada.
Welcome to Adega Malápio, where we revive the medieval tradition of winemaking in clay amphorae with fermentation to produce natural, minimally invasive, and authentic wines from the Bairrada region. Here, we provide luxury wine tourism services with unique features, a centuries-old cellar, and a medieval vineyard.
Visits to the cellar and vineyard, an experience that will take you back in time. You can schedule visits to the vineyard/winery, eat our famous Bairrada Roasted Leitão (Letão Assado) next to our century-old amphorae, admire the unique views of the Cértima River basin with its rice fields and rich flora and fauna, glimpse Caramulo and Cruz Alta on the top of the Bussaco slopes, and learn how our wines are produced and our medieval vineyard, which is crossed by a watercourse, offering friends, family, and clients a unique experience.
Malápio Wine, Amphora Wine, red, Bairrada DOC
This wine is intended as a tribute to the Bairrada winemaking tradition and to my grandfather,
a master of the art of clay, who made wine in amphora for much of his life, in Aguada de Baixo, Portugal.
The grapes used in this wine came from a vineyard with nearly century-old vines of many varieties, both white and red, which I insist on cultivating in a minimalist way and in accordance with ancient Bairrada tradition. The vines are pruned according to their vigor, and the canes are tied with wicker, using different tying processes, such as "Rabo de Leão", "Morcela", and "Amouroada".
Weeds are controlled without the use of herbicides. The main grape varieties are: Maria Gomes, Bical, Cercial, Bastardo, Baga, Rabo de Ovelha, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, and Tinta Roriz.
Vinification took place in centuries-old clay jars lined with beeswax and pine resin. The grapes, both white and red, were destemmed, crushed, and placed in the jars, waiting for fermentation to begin with the indigenous yeasts. After fermentation, the grapes were dropped to the bottom of the jar and remained there until December, as is tradition. The wine was then transferred to another jar, taking care to add the wine from the pressing of the grapes.
However, a minimal amount of sulfur solution was added to prevent oxidation, and a container was placed to float on the surface of the wine with the sulfur solution.
This ensured perfect stability of the wine without increasing its sulfite concentration. The wine was bottled in the first week of April, without malolactic fermentation and after light filtration, in a cinnamon-colored Burgundy bottle with a high-quality natural cork stopper. 1,200 bottles (all numbered) were produced using traditional straw, with 13% alcohol, excellent acidity, freshness, and the rusticity typical of the artisanal winemaking process.
We believe that the wine's concept and style are aimed at a niche market of connoisseurs and lovers of wines with minimal intervention and very low sulfites. If the customer wants a wine made more naturally than it was over 100 years ago, the Malápio Amphora Wine is the solution.
FINAL NOTE: In the next harvest, we have another wine, a white wine from the same vineyard.
Services
Wireless Free
Parking Free
Wine Sale
Restaurant
Pet Friendly
Meeting/Congress Area
Weddings