TRAVESSIA (From Portuguese):
A trip across a great distance of sea or land.
A passage… “the journey of life.”
Past
I began my journey in the world of wine as a kid living in a small village in the Tras-Os-Montes region of Portugal. Every September I would help my family and neighbors with the grape harvest. Wines were made in an artisan manner to be consumed by family and friends. Grape stomping with one’s feet was not a romantic or cool way to crush grapes, it was the only way.
Fast forward… now living in the United States, I remained connected to the world of winemaking thanks to my uncle Octavio who had emigrated from Portugal in the early 80s and who has been a home winemaker all his life. Eventually I became more and more intrigued about winemaking. So I took a dive into the world of wine and winemaking. In March of 2007 I was invited by the owners of Running Brook Vineyards to help them with their winemaking. By this time I had already developed a passion for winemaking.
Present
All my winemaking knowledge comes from hands on experience. I have no official training in enology. Though there are some basic winemaking techniques which are fundamental to producing quality wines, I enjoy the freedom to experiment outside of pre-conceived formulas and methods.
In a very short period of time I’ve learned that winemaking presents tremendous risks and enormous challenges. It’s farming, it’s chemistry, it’s marketing, it’s sales… And I’ve only scratched the surface. But the world of wine and winemaking is also extremely exciting and rewarding in its own unique way.
On December 14th 2008, I opened Travessia winery to the public. We are located in the urban setting of downtown New Bedford, Massachusetts.
Future
In the near future I hope to purchase agricultural land in the Southeastern New England area where I can plant a vineyard. It’s an old cliché that great wines always start being made in the vineyard, not in the winery… so true. A vineyard is what makes a wine truly unique. So it’s naturally my goal to be able to plant and manage the vineyard where I grow at least some of the grapes that go into Travessia’s wines.
