The Adega23 project was born from Manuela Carmona’s passion on the culture and history of wine-making – an interest that acted as the catalyst for her escape from her day job as an eye doctor. The region where she was born (Sarnadas de Rodão/Castelo Branco), with which she never lost contact, was the place she chose to plant this incredibly bold wine-making endeavor. Bold for its dimension, its modernity, and its originality. The harbinger for the project is Adega23’s main building.
This is an edifice signed by Atelier RUA. This architecture firm erected a striking parallelepiped building surrounded by a highly textured structure, with a magnificent golden coating. Situated in the highest elevation of the 12 hectares of the estate, it is quite conspicuous in the landscape, especially for those who drive down the A23 highway, which cuts through the vineyard. The interior of the building was as carefully designed in order to, first of all, accommodate the technical needs of the vinification and ageing processes, but also to offer a social area which can host enotourism and cultural events. The project, from an architecture standpoint, has been mentioned, praised and even awarded by the specialised milieu.
Pried open by the golden platform that surrounds and elevates the building’s main floor, just above the vineyards and the slopes, the panoramic veranda places the viewer directly into the singularity of this spot – embracing the distant mountains, such as the Serra de São Mamede, in the region of Alto Alentejo, to the Southeast, and, to the North, the Serra das Talhadas and, further on, the Serra da Estrela, all in Beira Interior. However, the main characteristics of the winery’s terroir are influenced by the Serra da Gardunha, to the South of the estate, which imbue it with the necessary determination to produce wines of great quality within that area.
Since the inception of the project, our main goal has been the creation of outstanding wines. In the pursuit of the most exquisite elegance, we have had at our side Rui Reguinga, an incredibly experient oenologist. The first vintage was done between August and September 2017, and the very first wines (white and rosé) hit the markets in June 2018. The same year in October we launched our first red wine. At the moment, we produce up to 30,000 bottles.
The project, from an architecture standpoint, has been mentioned, praised and even awarded by the specialised milieu.
The upper part of the winery building is surrounded by a golden metallic structure and is lined with cork.