AGUARDENTE MARIA’S
José Miguel Maria
MARMELETE
282 955 494
37°18’23.32”N 8°40’0.37”W
José Miguel Maria has a long career in medronho. He began to accompany his father in the production of aguardente at the age of eight, over four decades ago, and could not have had a better teacher. His father died at the age of 94 and he picked medronho all his life. It is no surprise then that his son has his own specific rules for the preparation of the drink. Instead of a 120-litre boiler, like most of his contemporaries have, he prefers to use a 110-litre one, as he believes the medronho boils better in it. And as far as the wood is concerned, he likes to burn thicker logs as in this way he can keep “ a surer spark”.
As to the rest, the precepts are more or less the same as everyone else’s. He picks the fruit in a certain area, ferments the medronho mash in plastic barrels, uses the weak aguardente (the last to leave the previous distillate) to strengthen the following “boil”, and only turns off the fire, i.e., the door of the batch, when the distilled drink starts to run smoothly, i.e., when the liquid comes out evenly into the pitcher that is on the other side of the still. Having made this last gesture, the same thing happens in his distillery as in all the others: “It has started to run, now we can have a drink!”