AGUARDENTE LUZ
Ernesto Luz
ZEBRO
965 048 016
37°17’35.02”N 8°41’49.81”W
Ernesto Luz was born at Zebro, in a place surrounded by eucalyptus, olive trees, heather, Scotch broom and gorse, that is found by leaving the National Road 267 and driving down almost to the foot of a hill. At that time there were twenty houses in the neighbourhood; there is only one house with people living there now. Everyone went to live elsewhere. He himself lives in the city of Portimão, although the connection to the house where he was born is very much alive. After having been destroyed by a fire, the building was built up again and transformed into a medronho aguardente distillery and a meeting place for friends.
Among the legalized distilleries his is the crudest, in the sense that has kept many of the characteristics of the old cellars. In a medronho distillery the boiler and the fire are the priorities. As to the rest it is dark, full of smoke and with little furniture. Some comfort, only in the adjoining room, where there is a long table for days of festivities. The method that Ernesto uses to control the fire is also unusual nowadays. He does so by keeping the batch door open, requiring the permanent supervision of the flames, so the chemistry of the distillation is precise and the drink perfect.