Monte da Peceguina Tinto, Alentejo, Herdade da Malhadinha Nova

Description

Monte da Peceguina Tinto is a Portuguese red wine made in the Alentejo wine-growing region at Herdade da Malhadinha Nova.

Sometime in the late 1990s a “star” in the sky led brothers João and Paulo Soares to an idyllic 200 Ha property near Beja, which they then set about buying and spending 3m Euros developing. In 1998 the first 20 Ha of vines were planted with red varieties Aragonês, Trincadeira, Syrah and Alicante Bouschet, as well as some white grapes Arinto and Antão Vaz and Síria. This was overseen by consultant winemaker Luís Duarte. The winery was completed in 2002 and is totally geared to quality, small batch wine making, including the use of open top shallow fermenters where grapes are trodden, and using gravity for wine flow as much as possible. Their first full harvest was in 2003 and they’ve never looked back. The wines have won critical acclaim in Portugal and abroad, confirming the family’s dedication to producing a new generation of quality Alentejo wines.

Monte da Peceguina Tinto is a blend of Aragones, Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet, Trincadeira and Syrah. The grapes are manually harvested into small 12kg crates, fermentation process occurred under controlled temperature in small tanks where the grapes are crushed using traditional methods. The wine is then aged in French oak barrels for 12 months.

The original designs of the labels derive from João’s childrens’ scrapbook doodlings featuring the typical flora and fauna of the estate, making the whole project a very family affair.