Brandy Style

Anyone wanting to know what Medronho is can sum it up in one sentence: a brandy made from fermented strawberry-tree fruit, without added flavoring or alcohol. The word 'Aguardente' simply means spirit in Portuguese and says nothing about the raw material, which is why 'de Medronho' is added after it.

Legally, it is a fruit spirit of Category 9 and not a Geist. With a Geist, unfermented fruit is steeped in alcohol and then distilled. With Medronho, by contrast, the fruit ferments on its own, and only the fermentation product is distilled. The regulation requires at least 37.5% ABV, it may be sweetened with no more than 18 grams per liter, and coloring is not permitted at all. Bottlings, according to the literature, are typically around 48 to 50% ABV, well above the legal minimum. Unlike a kirsch, whose aroma is shaped by the stone, Medronho lacks any stone-like note, since the berry has only tiny seeds and no stone.

The difference from Medronho without an origin designation lies in the name. 'Medronho do Algarve' is a protected geographical indication, checked by the Algarve's wine commission. Aguardente de Medronho, on the other hand, can also be produced elsewhere, for instance wherever the shrub also grows.

Medronho keeps its distance from Portugal's grape spirits. Brandy and pomace brandy come from the vine, while Medronho comes from the shrub on the mountain slope. Anyone who tries both immediately tastes the difference between the aroma of grapes and that of ripe berries.

In the glass, Medronho is usually clear and robust. What carries it is the scent of ripe red fruit, not wood, and this is precisely what makes it so distinctive in the glass.