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Welcome to the Quinta da Plansel winery. Come and meet us and these wines that are part of our lives.
Welcome to the winery Quinta da Plansel! We are situated about 100km from Lisbon, in the southeastern part of the city of Montemor-o-Novo. We have around 75 hectares of vineyards that are an integral part of the DOC area of Évora.
The region has a temperate climate of Mediterranean characteristics. The temperatures fall quickly with the sunset and, with the maritime influence, night-time temperatures are below 18 ºC. The cool nights guarantee a good acidity and an aromatic profile favorable to varieties of reference from Quinta da Plansel: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca, Tinta Barroca, Verdelho and Gouveio.
The scenery is magnificent, with vineyards dotted with olive trees and cork oaks, with the cattle to invade the peaceful extensive plains, natural parks in which the winery integrates seamlessly.
The winery was created in 1997, when Dorina Lindemann, daughter of Jorge Böhm, oenologist licensed by the University of Geisenheim (Hessen), came from Germany to Portugal with the husband Thomas Lindemann and, leveraging the existing vineyards linked to the program of technical improvement of his father, devoted himself to the production of wine.
Nowadays, Dorina and her two daughters, Julia and LuisaLindemann, are passionate about the wine of indigenous vine by Alentejo.
The combination of the oenological knowledge about the varieties with the existence of biodiversity is fundamental to achieving our strategic objective. The direct relationship between the wine and the environment of the terroir of Quinta da PLANSEL toward a precision viticulture is the secret of the success of the cuvées and monovarietals of Dorina Lindemann.
Dorina was able to produce her first wines together with a research assistant, the young winemaker Paulo Laureano, at the experimental wine estate of the University of Évora in Mitra. This is where the PLANSEL SELECTA brand was born. During the next five years, and with the help of her husband, Dorina established her own winery: the Quinta da PLANSEL. Decades' worth of experience were quickly passed from father to daughter. And much more experience was gained from the 20,000 litres of wine produced in 1997 to today annual production stands around 400,000 litres. This is not that impressive until you realise that Dorina purposely seeks to achieve low yields, even with the simplest of table wines. One of the secrets of the winery's success is the excellent collaboration between Dorina and fellow oenologist Carlos Ramos, with experience with the grapevine varieties. Both have extensive in-depth knowledge and a passion for the Touriga Nacional, Touriga Franca and Tinta Barroca varieties in particular, as grown in the terroir of Montemor-o-Novo.
Dorina Lindemann, with the daughters Julia and Luisa, are the last descendants active in a family which, since 1828, has been engaged in the cultivation of vines and the production of wine.
Today, the daughters are following the same path of the grandfather and mother, preparing this time at university level to meet the challenges that lie ahead.
Grapes are harvested after daily systematic maturity checks and depending on the variety and the quality grade. When harvesting our reference grapevine varieties for premium wines, only fully ripe grapes are hand picked. In order to minimise the risk of crushing the grapes at the time of picking, they are stored and transported in small plastic crates. Because of the high temperatures outside at the time of harvest, white grapes are cooled down to 10°C in the cold room before being pressed, while red grapes are mashed straight away.
The harvested grapes must be processed as soon as possible after harvest because the mash and the must are susceptible to unwanted oxidation - which negatively affects the aromas – before fermentation. Modern technology allows us to process the harvested grapes at specific, controlled temperatures, which vary according to the variety and the type of wine being produced. These variables account for the different processing techniques employed. The stems are removed during the crushing process, and care is taken to ensure that the must comes into as little contact with the air as possible. To that end, a gentle pump system speeds up the process.
For the production of white and rosé wine, the grapes from the cold room are de-stemmed and crushed cold. The must is then immediately pressed in the nearby stainless steel press. The must goes straight away to a cool, temperature-controlled cellar.
The process for red wine is different. Because the colour bound in the skins is only released in the presence of alcohol, the must has to ferment with the grapes, after the fermentation and maceration all wine is then discharged to the storage tanks and the mash is pressed to extract the remaining liquide.
The cellar has two different types of cold room. The first is used to cool down the harvested grapes. The substances responsible for aromas must be protected against oxidation which occurs at normal ambient room temperature. The second cold room was developed specifically to obtain the desirable fruity aromas. With room temperatures between 12°C and 15°C, efforts are made to keep must temperatures during the "hot" fermentation phase below 20°C. Because of the low temperatures, it is necessary to add special yeast to ensure rapid yet uniform fermentation.
The fermentation of must in old barriques on lined floors is costly is therefore the preserve of premium wines only, and those wines which make the grade when the "big choice" ("grande escolha") is made. The “Dorina Lindemann” is being presented here personally by Dorina, with her daughter, Julia. Only fully mature grapes with a short raceme specially selected before harvest are used to ensure optimum clarity for this limited edition wine.
In the past the grapes of the great wines of the Douro, but also those here in the Alentejo, were crushed in open, often monolithic, granite or marble tanks with bare feet. Although it does have folkloric appeal, nowadays for reasons of hygiene and economy, the method favoured is open fermentation with mechanical submerging of must cake and manual pumping over with must, which takes place in stainless steel fermentation tanks with built-in cooling rings. This system has been retained for high quality must, especially for the premium red wines, and guarantees top quality wine.
Various fermentation technologies are used in the production of red wine, depending on the variety and the type of wine being produced. The technology employed most often is one using fermentation tanks with pumping-over systems. Because the process of fermentation takes quite a long time and the temperature can not rise over 24°C, the fermentation tanks have built-in cooling coils or cooling rings to cool down the tank wall. This method is used for the majority of our wines.
Because we have numerous fermentation tanks of different sizes, we are always able to match the size of the harvest to the right-sized tank.
You can't stop progress! One technology used in the new world of wine is the VINIMATIC, a fermentation method which basically works on the same principle as a cement-mixer. A spiral screw inside a rotating horizontal drum constantly mixes the must cake with the liquid must, thus ensuring optimum yield of the compounds responsible for colouration and aroma. The process guarantees a quick fermentation and optimum extraction of colour and aromatic compounds.
It is always the sensational highlight of a guided tour to see the barrique cellar. The reserve wines and premium wines of "Colheita Seleccionada" (special harvest) mature here after fermentation. We store the barriques containing our best wines at a controlled room temperature, thus refining this traditional method of using the breathability of the natural wood and the release of the tannins from the oak to enhance the maturation of the wine. After being stored for up to a year in the finest French oak, the wine is bottled and put in our bottle cellar where it rests until Carlos Ramos and Dorina decide that the wine is ready for the market.
After the various fermentation processes, the red wines are stored in hygienic conditions in stainless steel storage tanks which protect the wine from the risk of oxidation. Here, the wines undergo the so-called secondary, malolactic fermentation in which the malic acid converts into the softer lactic acid, releasing carbon dioxide in the process. After a stabilisation period, the regional and quality wines are bottled in late spring.
She is the owner and winemaker of Plansel. The heart of the company. Dorina is also responsible for the management and sales/export.
Carlos is the right hand of Dorina and together with her the main winemaker. He is responsible for the vinification and the quality management.
She is the younger daughter of Dorina and dedicated like her mother to the wines of Portugal. She is studying winemaking and oenology in Germany and will join the Plansel-Team after university.
Exclusive German importer with his own company Orbis Vini and husband of Dorina Lindemann. Stays with strengths and dedication behind the company.
She is the oldest daughter of Dorina and studies marketing & social media in Lisbon. She will finish university soon and afterwards she will be a fix part of the marketing team.
Currently she's sales assistant for different countries for Plansel. She is manly living between Germany and Portugal, dividing her strength between Plansel and Orbis Vini to push and fight for Portuguese wines all over the world.
Next to Carlos, Filomena is one of the most important person in the company, responsible for all the administration and accounting.
She is the youngest in the Plansel-team. She is responsible for all the paperwork in the export process.
She is the personal assistant of Dorina and responsible for events as wine tastings.
She is the good soul of the winery and she gives a helping hand to everyone.
He is the manufacturing manageralso responsible for all the maschines and the warehouse.
Adopted from Brasil. Cellar master and right hand of Carlos Ramos.
He is Plansel’s maintenance supervisor.
She is part of the veteran staff of Plansel and production assistant.
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