Folias de Baco Renegado

This is a great lunchtime/afternoon/early evening red. It’s a pick n mix blend of all kinds of native grapes grown not just in the Douro but across Portugal. Many of these grow nowhere else in the world. It may sound like a cop-out , scrap bucket idea to collect whatever you have to hand and ferment it. However there’s method in this multiplicity and it’s not from a particularly lofty place. Rural Portugual has never been wealthy - still isn’t in many areas. Had the villages adopted monoculture along with not just the lower Douro but most of Europe then the risk of crop failure (i.e. no wine) should the vintage not suit the grape is a real threat. Knowing that if you have several different grapes growing means that there is a more likely possibility that you will be able to make some booze! Resilient winemaking!

We were captivated by this when we tasted it. Brimming with life and vivacity. You can debate if you think it’s a dark rosé or a light red over plates of olives and charcuterie for hours - let us know what you think.