My life mission, since moving to Portugal, has been to seek out amazing Portuguese wine bars, wine and inspiring people in the wine world. It was inevitable that my research would lead me to António Teixeira.
Sometime in April of 2020, my partner and I had to go to Faro for an appointment and on the way back, I said, “Let’s stop by the Rolha Wine Bar, have a glass of wine and check it out.”
When we rolled up, it looked open, hazzah! But when we walked up to the front door, it wouldn’t open. In typical Candy fashion, I then repeatedly tried to open the door that I hadn’t realised was locked. There were people inside. I didn’t understand, so I pressed my face to the door and peered in. Eventually, someone saw me and came and unlocked the door. Upon opening it, the man said quietly that they were closed for a private wine event. “Wait, I read about your wine bar and I’ve been dying to come!” I said.
My persistence paid off when the young man came back and invited us in! We ended up having an epic wine tasting with the winemaker of Quinta do Javali from the Douro. By the end of the night, we had become friends with the winemaker of Javali, whose name, coincidentally, is also António, along with António from Rolha. With our arms full of wine, we walked to our car with smiles on our faces and a new wine destination to go to.
More recently, last December, after a wine tasting António was hosting in Burgau at the restaurant Sul, I asked him if he’d sit down with me and tell me about his life, his passion for wine and how he got here. Reluctantly, with a bit of badgering on my end, in April, he met with me over dinner and told me his amazing story.
The first thing I said to him when we sat down for the article was, “You know, I did an extensive internet search on you before our meeting, but I could barely find anything.” And he replied, “I’m a secret,” with a shrug and a shy smile.
How it all started
My first question of many for António was “How’d you get here?” Starting at the beginning, he began to tell me his story.
Born in Johannesburg, South Africa and raised in Porches, where he and his family still live today, António has had the great fortune of being born to parents who love to cook and host friends and family. “My mom is an amazing host! It was only natural for me to start working in restaurants.” From the time António was 15 years old, he was spending his summers working at the beach bar located close to home, Bar Boneca in Carvoeiro. The owner Jorge Carvalho was, and still is, a mentor and friend. It is because of this long-lasting relationship that the owner has always had a place for António when he needed to make some extra cash, and it was here, António admits, that he found his passion for hospitality and love for wine.
At the age of 18, he left Portugal and spent three years in Bristol working in hospitality at the Gala Casino and also at Graze, a local brewery, where he eventually became cellar master. His boss at the brewery, Steve Mason, had a penchant for fine wine and a generosity that led him to share his favourite bottles and knowledge with António. Working hard and increasing his knowledge and love of wine, he said that it was in Bristol when he was 19 that he first had the idea for Rolha, his future wine bar.
While in Bristol, António met his partner Aina and together, they took off to South America for a six-month adventure. During this trip, António realised two things: “You don’t need a lot to live a good life” and “It’s possible to have anything you want if you work for it.” The experience gave him the courage to move back to Europe and start working towards his dream.
Rolha Wine Bar
António and Aina returned to Porches with a nest egg and a plan. Together, they began searching for the perfect venue.
“The idea was to have a wine bar with simple seasonal tapas that was in a good location, but not obvious or touristic. A place where everyone could come, anytime of the year, with no formalities, just local people, supporting local businesses with local products.” Most importantly, he said, “It had to be good, and the goal was for people to leave happy.” It took time for him to find the right location but when the perfect 18th-century building in Porches became available, with the bones of a famous nineties restaurant, Rolha was born.
After António found his location, renovated and launched the bar, Rolha was finally open! In the mornings before heading to the wine bar, António would work at Bar Boneca to make extra money. He also led wine tastings once a week to a group of seniors at a local timeshare in Carvoiero, which he still does to this day.
After three years of being open, António said they were still struggling. At one point, he recalled a week when he had almost no guests. He was feeling defeated and contemplated giving up, but the very next week (it’s like the public suddenly heard him), things miraculously turned around and he never looked back!
The wine scene
Since António’s return to the Algarve 11 years ago, he has been discovering not just a new Portugal but a new and evolving Portuguese wine scene. Through his weekly tastings he hosts for a group that gathers at a local Time-Share in Carvoeiro for the last eight years and hosting his guests at his wine bar, António said his palate changed. His selections, pairings and the wine list that he curated transformed from being more on the traditional, well-known wine label side, to a wine list composed of new, young and flourishing wine producers with a focus on more natural wines. Looking back, he said with a chuckle, “The first wine and food pairing we ever did at Rolha was a huge success. It went from 7 pm to 3 am and five of the seven wines were considered natural, before I even knew what that meant.”
Within the first few years of running Rolha, António simultaneously started a wine distribution company, Rolhas Vinhos Distribuição, with natural wine icon, Brian Patterson, of the Black Sheep wine bar in Lisbon. Their first signed producer was, and still is, Portugal’s most famous and iconic new winemaker from the Dão, António Madeira.
Now with both companies running smoothly, António’s primary focus became about cultivating a roster of producers that make organic, biodynamic and naturally made wines from small, family or independently owned producers all over Portugal.
This last year, with Rolha Wine Bar on firm and successful ground, António decided to sell the bar and dedicate himself fully to his thriving wine distribution company, Rolhas Vinhos.
Rolhas Vinhos is a small company with just four employees and two four-legged furry assistants, Simba and Lucky. His philosophy? “To sell wine, obviously! But really to work together with my buyers, consumers and staff. And to protect my producers by communicating well. Always leading with the best intentions, for the purpose of making wine and life better for everyone.”
A natural progression
António’s influence on bringing natural wines to the Algarve to the young and older wine enthusiasts is evident. As is the demand from the hip and relevant Michelin-rated restaurants and popular wine bars here in the Algarve that carry his wines.
When I asked António why he went in the natural wine direction (as the category can be somewhat controversial), he responded, “Natural wines came naturally. Natural wine is nothing new. It’s the same wine my grandfather drank, just made with different technology.”
“The most expensive (finest) wines in the world are natural. For example, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti [a world-famous winery in Burgundy, whose bottles are sold for thousands of euros].”
I agree entirely! My personal logic is that why wouldn’t we try a natural wine, especially if it categorically offers us a better, healthier alternative to industrially made wines that can potentially have over 400 different chemicals added?
A wine revolution
António believes that we are in a wine revolution. “People are caring more about what they drink and it’s been happening for more than 10 years, which means it’s not just a passing fad or fashion; it’s continuing. Forcing all of us to work for higher, better quality wines in this category and ensuring that the producers continue to make better wine.”
Finally, I wanted to ask António, what’s next? “Well, I still have so much to learn and one thing I do know for sure is that I still know nothing about wine,” he said with a smile.
In a country with a dwindling younger demographic, a meagre minimum wage and deep ties to the rigid beliefs of the past, these three actualities make it hard for anyone to succeed. However, António has superseded all with integrity, kindness and a dedicated following. Now with alcohol consumption at an all-time low, what António is doing is even more radical and important for the future of wine here in Portugal. For ALL of us wine lovers. This “wine revolution” encourages all wine producers to be more conscientious and care more about how they’re making their wine.
Quietly handsome, intelligent and kind, this surprising 33-year-old young man is accomplishing extraordinary things here in the wine industry and I, for one, look forward to seeing what he does next.
Candace Olsen is a sommelier, fine wine consultant, wine educator and wine writer.
candyleacane@me.com
Main photo © Lajla Dale
