Adega do Demo
Rosario, 5, Alongos, Ourense | 661 544 072
Adega do Demo was founded by Carlos Lorenzo and Laura Rodríguez. The name, which literally translates to “The Devil’s Winery” is an homage to Moises, Carlos’s grandfather, who grew up in the village of Alongos in the 1930s.
He loved to play tricks on the village, and he became famous for climbing up the hills of Alongos in the middle of the night and using a wine barrel as a megaphone to make a huge noise echo throughout the hills. People said it seemed the very devil was on the loose, and began calling this strange sound the “devil’s snore.” Moises earned the nickname “O Demo da Ronca,’ or ‘the devil of the snore.’
Carlos and Laura have been taking care of Carlos’s family vineyards since 2005. After selling grapes to other wineries, they eventually decided to make their own wines, farming all their vineyards organically and using traditional grape varieties. They made the first vintage in 2017.
The Wines
Bitoku — Treixadura and Loureira from vines grown at 280m in a south facing vineyard on slate and clay soil. After a cold maceration, the grapes ferment with indigenous yeasts in stainless steel tanks, with a short bâtonnage of the fine lees. Bitoku is the name of a Japanese carp and it means “virtue” in Japanese, with a strong connection to the seven virtues of Bushido (the philosophy of Samurai).
Tinto do Demo — Caiño Longo, Souson and Brancellao from vines grown in decomposed granitic soil in Beade. Grapes are de-stemmed and fermented in stainless steel with light punch-downs. After pressing the wine and fine lees are moved into French oak barrels and aged for 10 months, and the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered.
Piotr K — This “concept wine” is inspired by the agricultural anarchy theory of Piotr Kropotkin: free from a central government and based on voluntary associations of self-governing communities and worker-run enterprises. Every year is different, but the grapes come from the 2ha Montecelo vineyard in Puga, planted to Treixadura, Torrontes and Loureira on slate and clay at 270m ASL.
11th House — produced as a collaboration between Iria Otero, Zak Elfman of Mission, and Adega do Demo. 55% Godello, 25% Albariño, 10% Loureira and 10% Treixadura, aged under flor with the lees for 10 months. Different barrels were blended and the wine was further aged in stainless steel for 10 months.