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Anselmo Mendes
Winemaker
- Discipline
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i. Biography
Anselmo Mendes works from Vinho Verde with the authority that comes from long repetition and close observation. Training at Lisbon led into a sequence of roles that built technical range: work for the negociant operation Borges in Porto, consulting at Gaivosa in Douro and at Ameal in Vinho Verde, and an independent project at Muros de Melgaço, where he produced Muros de Melgaço (1987–1997). The record matters here because it shows a maker moving across formats and regions while sharpening control over style, site, and method.
The Climb
Anselmo Mendes trained at Lisbon before moving through a formative run of roles: he worked for negociant operation Borges in Porto, served as consultant at Gaivosa in Douro and at Ameal in Vinho Verde, and developed his own project, producing Muros de Melgaço at Muros de Melgaço (1987–1997). The sequence maps a practical education in wine: commercial work, regional consulting, and the first sustained test of an individual approach. Since 1998, he has owned a small property in Melgaço, giving his work a fixed point in the north of Vinho Verde. Since 2001, he has been experimenting with skin fermentation for whites (curtimenta), a method that changes texture and pushes white wine beyond standard regional expectations. Since 2005, he has been working with Loureiro, a continued study in one of the region’s key varieties. Since 2008, he has bought the Quinta de la Torre vineyards and property and restored it at Quinta de la Torre, treating recovery as part of winemaking rather than a separate task. Since 2012, he has been recovering red varieties, extending the same methodical attention to material that had been neglected or set aside. The common thread is deliberate revision: using tradition as working material, not as fixed doctrine. Through those steps, Anselmo Mendes built a contemporary Vinho Verde practice from vineyard work, trial, and persistence.
Today
Anselmo Mendes now owns and makes wine at Anselmo Mendes Wines in Vinho Verde. The estate gathers the earlier work into one program, with the north’s Atlantic conditions, local varieties, and vineyard recovery all kept in play. It is a career built in stages, with each stage adding another layer of control over how place is translated into wine.
Signature
Anselmo's signature dishes include Curtimenta, Contacto Alvarinho, Muros Antigos Espumante Alvarinho, A Torre, and Parcela Única. Taken together, these names point to a clear set of preoccupations: texture, Alvarinho, sparkling lift, and parcel-based precision. The range suggests a maker using bottling as a working tool, with each wine testing a different route through the same territory.
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Anselmo
What is Anselmo Mendes's current role?
As of 2026, Anselmo Mendes is Winemaker and Owner.
