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Arinto 2021 Quinta Varea de Pedra

The countryside north of Lisbon is dotted with small wine regions that all bathe in Atlantic wind...

The countryside north of Lisbon is dotted with small wine regions that all bathe in Atlantic wind and rain. Grapes here generally struggle to ripen and much of the wine is distilled for brandy. However, the area also features hills like the chalky clay Serra de Montejunto, behind which the vineyards of Obidós shelter. Tomas and Alberto Emidio’s organically farmed Quinta Verzea is dedicated to Arinto in this marginally warmer microclimate, where this grape can wrap its incandescent core of acidity with a little more texture and complex flavor. The brothers only put the un-pressed free-run juice into this cuvee, and after wild yeast fermentation, they age it on its lees in steel for 11 months to give the wine more body. The resulting wine offers aromas of pear butter and peach with wildflowers and thyme and sage growing out of granite. The palate has wonderful tension between leesy creaminess and crackling salty acidity, with bold, ripe flavors of peach and orange that linger through the finish. When pairing seafood dishes, think of the intense flavors of Ceviche or the creamy richness of lobster under bechamel.

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