Francisco Gonçalves, Winemaker at FGWines: “[…] Trás-os-Montes is an extraordinary and extremely appealing region.”

For decades, Trás-os-Montes sat quietly on the sidelines of the major national wine routes. Today, it stands out as one of the most authentic and promising regions on the Portuguese wine scene, with its altitude, granitic soils, old vines and an exceptional diversity of grape varieties producing wines with a unique identity. In an engaging conversation, Villas&Golfe spoke to Francisco Gonçalves, winemaker at FGWines and co-founder of Moont’alegre Vinhos, who shared his vision of the potential of Trás-os-Montes and how this region is revealed in every glass of wine.

Tell us a little about this taste for the world of wine that led you to choose this career path. How did this journey begin?
I’m not sure whether I can attribute this to something hereditary or not, but my father’s parents had a vineyard. I don’t know if that taste rubbed off on me and actually led me to pursue a career in the world of wine. But it was something that I had always wanted to do, to work in a profession related to agriculture and nature. Whilst I was studying, the oenology course really grabbed my attention and I ended up falling in love with this field. The world of wine is incredibly exciting for me, the fact that there’s a new cycle every year… Professionally, I started out working for a very large Port wine group and then decided to set up my own business.

Montalegre isn’t exactly the first place that springs to mind when most people think of wine. What makes this region so special from a wine-growing perspective?
Montalegre has always been a very cold area, given its high altitude. That said, climate change has paved the way for viticulture to develop here too. You could say that my brother and I were rather daring when we decided to establish Portugal’s highest vineyard here. The conditions we have in Montalegre, in themselves, are what give the region’s wine its distinctive characteristics. The fact that we’re sitting at an altitude of 1,000 metres means that the wine’s ageing process will automatically give it these characteristics. This is also related to temperatures, atmospheric pressure and oxygenation, minor details, but ones that make all the difference. So, from the region’s high-altitude vineyards, we source the grapes and carry out the entire winemaking process and ageing in Montalegre at an altitude of 1,000 metres. This results in wines that are truly distinctive.

“The conditions we have in Montalegre, in themselves, are what give the region’s wine its distinctive characteristics.”

How is this difference, driven by climate and altitude, reflected in the profile and quality of this region’s wines?
The taste experience you get when trying wines from this region has to do with the altitude of the vineyards and with certain terroirs that we have selected. To some extent, the aromatic components of the wines linger longer because the lower levels of oxygenation, the local temperatures themselves, and the natural stability the wines possess due to the cold all combine to make them special. The result is that these characteristics are conveyed on the palate. In a way, these are wines with greater density, intensely aromatic wines, and all of this ultimately makes them truly distinctive.

“[Trás-os-Montes has] an extraordinary number of old vines, for example, have been preserved, which is an incredible heritage. A viticultural heritage that we have to preserve[…]”

In discussing terroir, there is much talk of the soil, but also of the surrounding landscape. What role do elements such as granite, moss, woodland and biodiversity play in the character of these wines?
Above all else, the most influential factor is the fact that the soils are granitic. The fact that some vineyards are located in areas with greater porosity, whilst others have a wider temperature range, is what actually makes this diversity so interesting and so distinctive. Trás-os-Montes is an extraordinary and extremely appealing region in this respect too.

When you think of a Montalegre wine, what characteristics do you find that you would struggle to replicate in another region of Portugal?
Above all else, there is a whole series of characteristics that result from the choices we make and the ways in which we combine them to ensure the final product differs from others. Our white wines have a freshness and a very pronounced minerality, which is indeed linked to this terroir, to the fact that the soils are granitic, and to the altitude. In the case of this particular project, all the vineyards that contribute to it are situated at altitudes between 600 and 800 metres. All of this effectively ensures that the wines exhibit these characteristics. Besides, ageing allows us to further enhance this sensation of freshness and the wine’s full aromatic profile. When it comes to reds, we are able to produce light, fresh wines. We don’t want the concentration or that full-bodied quality in wines that often leave us feeling sluggish. We want light, fresh yet structured wines, wines that pair well with food, or in other words, wines that give us pleasure when we drink them.

“Our white wines have a freshness and a very pronounced minerality, which is indeed linked to [...] the fact that the soils are granitic[…]

For many years, Trás-os-Montes stood somewhat on the sidelines of the major national wine routes. Do you think that this lack of exposure has ultimately preserved an authenticity that is now an asset?
I think that’s the case. I say this from a very personal perspective. I’ve always kept close ties with the Douro region. I worked there as a winemaking technician for fifteen years. When I decided to launch my own project, together with my brother, it was actually in Trás-os-Montes, and that had a lot to do with it, because here there was still a sense of authenticity and distinctiveness. And this region, which has tremendous potential, manages to combine those qualities. We’ve managed to come up with an authentic, distinctive product. I think we’ve still got a long way to go, but we can, to some extent, and if we play it right, preserve this and really take it to the next level.

Which grape varieties or styles of wine best express the identity of this region, and why?
You could say that the Trás-os-Montes region has lagged behind a little because we had the Douro right next door with its very strong commercial presence, and obviously people’s attention was turned towards the Douro. Today, Trás-os-Montes is seen as a pocket of the country waiting to be discovered, so it has enormous potential. This has meant that an extraordinary number of old vines, for example, have been preserved, which is an incredible heritage. A viticultural heritage that we have to preserve, because it’s something that other regions, such as the Alentejo, do not have on this scale or with this level of authenticity. Above all else, what we preserve are these old vines, which feature a wide variety of grape varieties, with a single vineyard plot sometimes containing 15 to 20 different varieties. This is what makes the region, and indeed the whole country, so appealing, effectively setting it apart from the rest of the world through this viticultural diversity. Besides the old vines, we also have grape varieties that are very common in the region, such as TintaAmarela and Bastardo. These varieties are very much part of the region and I put great faith in them because, as well as thriving perfectly in this part of the country, they also produce marvellous wines.

The Moont’alegre Vinhos brand came about from a commitment to showcasing a very special region. What was the vision behind this project, and what kind of image do you aim to convey through the wines you produce?
We are the only project of our kind in Montalegre. The idea was to bring something here that had never existed before and that was seemingly impossible to pull off. People often call both my brother and me crazy because of what we’re doing. But the resilience and persistence the people of Trás-os-Montes are known for helped us stay focused on the path we wanted to take, and has been instrumental in enabling us to build a brand that is now recognised around the world. We export to several countries. Our wines have been named amongst the 100 best wines in the world by one of the world’s leading opinion-makers. So, we are working to put the region, its wines and, above all, the name Montalegre on the global map. To some extent, this was something that two natives of the region wanted to do for their homeland: to raise the profile of the rural interior a little and then showcase it in a different way, through a product that, when served, whisks you away to these regions and their distinct identities.

If you were to invite the readers of Villas&Golfe to discover Montalegre through a glass of wine, how would you describe the essence of this region in a few words?
The character and authenticity of Montalegre wines convey so much of what the region itself is all about. Even its character of resilience, because this is truly something that takes a great deal out of us, that demands a great deal of us. And so, all of this comes across in the glass of wine when you taste it and appreciate that these are bold wines with character and with a lot of personality.

Text: Carla Martins
Photos: Ana Nogueira