Adega do Demo is owned and run by Laura Rodriguez and Carlos Lorenzo, who have been looking after his family vineyards since 2005. Their aim is to produce quality wine based on the traditional viticulture and winemaking method of Ribeiro area (Ourense, Galicia). Their vineyards are located in Alongos and they used to sell all their grapes to other wineries until they decided to make their own wines. All vineyards are farmed organically. Laura and Carlos’s aim is to produce wines with a clear concept and personality. They use traditional grape types of the area and use traditional winemaking methods. They made the first vintage in one of their friends’ cellars in 2017, which they call “year zero”. They produced the cuvée Bitoku (Treixadura + Loureira), which is the more typical regional wine with DO Ribeiro status, and 2 bottlings of their experimental wines labeled Piotr K. This concept wine is inspired by the agricultural anarchy theory of Piotr Kropotkin, “free from central government and based on voluntary associations of self-governing communities and worker-run enterprises.” Every year this wine will be different. Carlos says, “I think that is what we need in Galicia. People have been suffering from poverty and attached to the land. They used to be “coleteiros", who grows grapes and sell them off. Their life has always been influenced by nature, the price of grapes and poverty.”
VITICULTURE
The main pillar of their viticulture philosophy is earth and soil. It is the key factor to obtain healthy and strong grapes, which is their concept of grape growing. Therefore, they focus on the care of soil and its microbiology. Carlos and Laura observe plants continuously and use only products which are certified for organic farming, and they do not use any herbicides or insecticides of any sort. The main plot of Adega do Demo winery is a 3 hectare parcel located on the mountain slope. Its soil type is slate and clay. Carlos follows organic farming, because for Adega de Demo wines, all the life in the soil are the most important factor. He doesn’t spray herbicide or organic insecticide. During winter, he plants rye and vetches in order to soften and bring oxygen into the soil. He then shreds it to use as mulch in the summer. The plot is in pine and oak woods and surrounded by old handmade stone walls. He never gets tired with walking around the vineyards and looking after it.
