2017 Quinta da Serradinha Rosé

Region: Encosta D'Aire< Portugal             

Grapes: Castelão

Vineyard/Cellar Stats: Certified organic farming; Limestone/calcareous soils.  Destemmed into an open press, pressed directly into a 150-year old, 1000 L Amphora, where it spends 9 months on lees; bottled unfined/unfiltered with 30 ppm SO2; 10.8% ABV

Winemaker: António Marques da Cruz

NEW VINTAGE! Historic Quinta da Serradinha is a tiny, family-owned winery on the limestone slopes of the Serra d´Aire, about 20 km from the Atlantic coast. This is a rare Portuguese cool climate region (due to ocean proximity), producing wines with refreshing minerality and low alcohol. Antonio took over his family’s farm and led the conversion to organic certification in 1994, making him the poster child for a new generation of winemaking in Portugal.  He is one of the first in the Encosta D’Aire region to go organic, promote indigenous varietals and low intervention practices - which created a lot of controversy with neighbors and in Portugal, where organic/natural isn’t really a thing yet.  Reductive at first (hence the oniony smell), this pretty coral-colored wine opens up quickly to reveal candied watermelon, grapefruit and bright, tart fruit (think green strawberries).  It’s cloudy, and textural, which keeps roséfatigue at bay, and clocks in at barely 11% alcohol – so basically, you can drink this baby all day, with practically anything on the table.