Other
Abel Codesso
Winemaker
- Discipline
- Other
i. Biography
Winemaking here is anchored in Alvarinho, and Abel Codesso’s work has been shaped by the slow repetition of cellar practice and the mentors who taught him to taste with discipline. Codesso is plain about the debt: “He was my first great mentor.” Anselmo Mendes is the other figure he cites from that early period, the one who broadened his base: “The second, with whom I learned a little of everything, was Anselmo Mendes.”
The Climb
Cellar work in Melgaço gave Abel Codesso an early grounding in the region’s language, first as winemaker at Quintas de Melgaço and later at As Laxas, where he stayed until 2008. The next long stretch came at PROVAM in Monção e Melgaço, where he worked as winemaker from 2014 to 2025. Across those posts, the through-line is steady accumulation: local knowledge, repeated work with the same landscape, and a deeper command of the grape that defines the area. Today, Codesso’s remit is split across several advisory and production roles, all tied to the same territory. He is winemaker and consultant of Reguengo de Melgaço, consultant of Castaboa, consultant of Encosta da Capela, consultant of Adega do Sossego, and consultant of Chan de Vide. The list shows where his judgement is used and where his experience in the upper Minho is being applied.
Today
At Reguengo de Melgaço, Abel Codesso works both as winemaker and consultant, keeping him inside the production line and inside the decisions that shape the wines. Alvarinho remains the center of that work, linking the first cellar lessons to the present-day brief. The role is less a break from his earlier posts than a continuation of them, with the same grape, the same region, and the same practical discipline.
Signature
Abel's signature dishes include Moço da Ponte White 2023 and DOC Espumante Branco Bruto Reserva 2015. Together, they point to two ends of the same technical range: a white wine profile and the tighter structure of sparkling wine. Within Alvarinho, they mark the breadth of his working style without leaving the region’s frame.
In Their Words “The second, with whom I learned a little of everything, was Anselmo Mendes.”
Recognition
His name is most closely associated with Alvarinho, the variety that threads through his first cellar experience and his current work. The two mentors he cites, Fernando Moura and Anselmo Mendes, give shape to that lineage: first instruction, then broader formation, then practice repeated over time. Abel Codesso’s profile reads as continuity rather than reinvention, with each post adding to the same regional vocabulary.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Abel
Where did Abel Codesso work before?
Abel Codesso's earlier career included Quintas de Melgaço, As Laxas, and PROVAM.
What is Abel Codesso known for?
Alvarinho wines.
