Lés-a-Lés is the joint project of winemakers Jorge Rosa Santos and Rui Lopes. The project is a journey across Portugal where nearly forgotten grape varieties and stylistic traditions are brought back to life. The name roughly means “from one end to the other” and reflects more than ten years of travel, tastings, and work in the country’s most overlooked corners.
Each wine is a station, each label an old train ticket pointing to the place. The journey starts in the north with Avesso from Vinho Verde (Baião), heads south to limestone and Arinto de Pedra e Cal near Lisbon, swings into history via Medieval de Ourém, and carries us over Montejunto to a white from Alenquer. We jump back north for Távora-Varosa by the Tedo, and finally climb into the northeastern mountains with a red Trás-os-Montes Vinhas Velhas. Together they form a map of Portugal in liquid form.
The project was born from the desire to recover almost extinct grape varieties and wine styles. The editions are limited and site-driven; grapes and vinification are chosen to reflect the region’s expression rather than a house style. Jorge and Rui work closely with growers they’ve come to know over years as consultants, focusing on clarity, freshness, and regional identity. Each bottle is a small archive of people, places, and memories.
Jorge Rosa Santos and Rui Lopes have spent more than a decade on the road as winemakers, from small family estates to larger properties, harvest after harvest in almost every Portuguese region. From that experience came Lés-a-Lés: a limited series where the label serves as a ticket and the bottle as a travel diary.
