Four friends brought a cellar of 26 old terracotta amphorae back to life, reviving a wonderful tradition.
We have followed them for several years now and remain hugely enthusiastic. The whites have a complexity and individuality that is absolutely top-notch; the reds have a drinkability that gives no hint of the warm south.
In Belgium, XXVI Talhas is available from The Portugal Collection. We import the wines directly and deliver throughout Belgium.
A carpenter's passion
Joiner Daniel, respectfully called 'mestre' in the village for his craftsmanship, collected 26 old amphorae in his workshop in Vila Alva, a small village in the southern Alentejo. Alongside his carpentry he made wine, which he sold locally.
It is no surprise that Daniel made his wine in terracotta amphorae, known locally as vinho de talha. It is the method the Romans introduced to Portugal more than 2,000 years ago, and it survived in a few Alentejo villages.
Daniel died in 1990 and the cellar fell silent.
The XXVI Talhas team.
Back to Vila Alva
Like most young people from the region, Ricardo Santos and his friends left rural Vila Alva to build careers in Lisbon. Yet they stayed closely attached to their home village.
Ricardo studied oenology. The more he learned about modern winemaking techniques, the more fascinated he became by the simplicity of the vinho de talha of his native region. That is how the idea arose to revive Mestre Daniel's old cellar and bring the tradition to a wider audience. Since 2018 they have been making wine there again the traditional way.
How vinho de talha is made
Wine made in amphorae is utterly unique and the result of a very natural vinification. The lightly crushed grapes go into the amphorae with skins and stems. Without any intervention, the juice starts to ferment.
Towards the end of fermentation the amphora is sealed at the top to prevent oxidation. The mass of skins and stems gradually sinks to the bottom.
When the wine has matured enough, it is drawn off through a small tap at the bottom of the amphora. The settled skins act as a natural filter.
Photo: Artur Pastor, Arquivo Municipal de Lisboa.
A tradition of earthenware
For centuries earthenware was part of daily life in rural Portugal: from the large talhas in the cellar to the jugs used to draw the wine and bring it to the table.
With XXVI Talhas, that tradition gets a new lease of life.
Vidigueira and the Serra do Mendro
The ideal mix of conditions
It is no coincidence that winegrowing developed around Vidigueira. Here the cool sea breeze and mist from the Atlantic meet their first obstacle inland: the Serra do Mendro, a ridge some 400 metres high just above Vidigueira that marks the border between Alto and Baixo Alentejo.
Thanks to this ocean influence, growing conditions here are noticeably cooler than elsewhere in the Alentejo, so much so that locals know Vidigueira as white-wine country.
Add the very gentle extraction of amphora vinification, and the result is vinhos de talha that are nothing like the powerful, concentrated and often alcoholic wines that dominate the Alentejo today. Red talha wine is a light, low-alcohol and highly drinkable breath of fresh air. White talha wine surprises with firm structure and a complexity reminiscent of the best of the Jura.
In Vila Alva
XXVI Talhas in our range
Including: Mestre Daniel (white and red), Mestre Daniel Talha X, Tinto do Tareco, Palhete do Tareco.
View them in the webshop · More about the region: Alentejo.
Delivery and collection
We deliver throughout Belgium. Shipping costs €15.73 (incl. VAT) and is free from €175. Prefer to collect? You can pick up your order at our shop in Roeselare, Kaaistraat 62A. More about delivery