This month we dedicated our article to a recent partner with whom we made the Christmas baskets and we will now make the Valentine's Day baskets. A fluid conversation, full of good energy, as our relationship with Barbara and João characterizes.
Who are the guys behind Mainova? Where did this brand come from?
Mainova is a family project, led by me, the family's benjamin, Bárbara Monteiro. The history of MAINOVA, the new Portuguese brand of wines and extra virgin olive oil, started in 2010 when my parents acquired a property in Alto Alentejo, Herdade da Fonte Santa, in Vimieiro. In 2019, I decided to dedicate myself 100% to this project and create a brand where respect for nature is the central point.
In a land where there was only a small olive grove of about 50 years old, 90 hectares of olive trees (Cordovil, Picual, Cobrançosa, Arbequina and Frantoio) were planted and 20 hectares of vineyards - the varieties were handpicked by José Luís with the help English wine grower David Booth and include unanimous bets in the area but also less likely choices, such as Baga and Encruzado. Choices that reflect the irreverent DNA of our brand whose mission is to preserve the heritage of generations, but always with an eye on the future.
What are Mainova's values?
Respect, Innovation and Sustainability.
How are your products sustainable?
I'll take the opportunity to explain our products a little bit.
Among the six wine references, signed by the winemaker António Maçanita, we find Mainova, the brand presentation card, in white 2019 and red 2018 versions, which bring the purest combination of the property's shale and granite floors. Moinante, the rafeiro from Herdade da Fonte Santa, gives its name to the most irreverent proposals in the whole range: the white tanning of 2019 and the rosé 100% Castelão of 2019. The thousand materials that enrich the soil are, in turn, the inspiration behind Milmat, reserve wines with white 2018 and red 2017 versions.
MAINOVA extra virgin olive oils, cold extracted and composed exclusively of pure olive juice. Obtained from a combination of green and ripe olives, the Classic has a low acidity of 0.2% and is available in a 500 ml glass bottle or in a 3-liter Bag-in-Tube package, which protects the oil using 60% less plastic than the conventional bottle. Also with an acidity of 0.2%, Early Harvest is produced from green olives harvested at the beginning of the season and is sold by the bottle in 500 ml recycled glass stoneware and recently won a gold medal at the Dubai Contest Olive Oil.
With a deep respect for Nature and the unique ecosystem of Alto Alentejo, we have in environmental responsibility one of the defining characteristics of the brand, constantly seeking to reduce the environmental footprint not only through sustainable production methods but also in packaging - the seal replaces the capsules; the bottles are mostly recycled and recyclable glass; the labels of recycled paper or with a higher percentage of cotton; and the boxes of recycled and recyclable paper, without any use of plastic in the inks.
If your wines were a known person, who would they be?
- Mainova Red - João Manzarra
- Mainova White - Greta Thunberg
- Grinding Mill - Ellen Page
- Rosin Grinder - Woody Allen
- Milmat White - Meryl Streep
- Milmat Red - George Clooney
You can get to know Mainova on your site.
