Soalheiro publishes book ‘Manta de Retalhos’

Quinta de Soalheiro published the book ‘Manta de Retalhos’, a tribute to the more than 180 families of the Soalheiro Winegrowers Club, the territory of Monção and Melgaço and Alvarinho. The book will give rise to two photography exhibitions that will take place in Porto and Lisbon. The first will open on November 29th at Galeria Fernando Santos, on Rua Miguel Bombarda, in Porto, and can be visited until December 10th.

The book ‘Manta de Retalhos – Rostos do Alvarinho’, written by João Bernardino and Kitato (Luís Octávio Costa), is a portrait of the Clube de Viticultores do Soalheiro, based on the idea that the greatness of Alvarinho de Monção and Melgaço is made locally, by many hands, in a patchwork where each plot has the face of the caretaker. The winegrowers were photographed during a vineyard cycle, leaving testimonies about the connection to Alvarinho, resulting in an exclusive edition that has prefaces by professors Álvaro Domingues and Gonçalo Maia Marques.

The uniqueness of Monção and Melgaço is due to the natural conditions, a valley surrounded by mountains, and the collective effort of the people who cultivated Alvarinho. Knowledge passes from generation to generation and each plot is cared for like a garden by these families, who, even with other professional occupations, dedicate their free time to obtain additional income. Alvarinho is one of the most expensive grapes in the country, guaranteeing the sustainability of agriculture and the preservation of this unique landscape, which, seen from above, reminds us of a patchwork blanket, each with the history of a family, like Soalheiro.

«We are very grateful to our winegrowers, who today are part of this family of families that is Soalheiro. Without them, our wines would not be what they are today and the dream would not continue. This book is a way of honoring the careful care for the grapes and the unwavering commitment to Soalheiro», says the Cerdeira family, founders of the first Alvarinho de Melgaço brand.

The recent launch of the book ‘Manta de Retalhos’ was attended by a full house, where the book was distributed to winegrowing families and the Soalheiro team. The bilingual publication, with a circulation of 1000 copies, will be available free of charge, in full, from November 29th on the website www.mantaderetalhos.pt and can be consulted physically at Soalheiro and at the two presentation Photography Exhibitions of the book, in Porto and Lisbon.