Pequenos Rebentos Vinho Verde Alvarinho-Trajadura

In the Vinho Verde region, Márcio Lopes works with the Alvarinho and Trajadura varieties from the Monção and Melgaço subregions. These areas have a very special microclimate, with a little less Atlantic influence than the rest of the region: here winters are cold with moderate rainfall, summers are hot and dry. Márcio now cultivates around 5 hectares of vineyards that grow on granite. He also buys grapes from selected farmers who work in the same sustainable way as he does and do not use herbicides.

Crystal clear with slightly green reflections and nice light citrus and herbal notes. Very mineral. In the mouth there is a slight carbonic acid, which disappears immediately and is a natural protection against oxidation. A lively and juicy wine with a long finish.

As a winemaker, Márcio Lopes really only intervenes as much as is absolutely necessary and trusts as much as he can in the natural processes of winemaking. For example, he lets his wines ferment exclusively with natural yeasts and - like many of the producers we work with - he firmly believes that if the grapes are of the right quality, he can produce excellent and harmonious quality wines that have the character reflect their terroir. And he seems to be doing quite well with it: Márcio Lopes' wines are unmistakably fresh and lively and are characterized without exception by bright and clear typical varietal aromas. They are present and clean, with crisp acidity and balanced texture. This makes the wine the ideal accompaniment to seafood and dishes with a creamy sauce.

• Vintage: 2020
• Grape varieties: 50% Alvarinho, 50% Trajadura
• Alcohol content: 12% vol.
• Total acidity : 6.6 g/L
• Production area: Monção and Melgaço
• Residual sugar : 4.5 g/L
• pH : 3.26
• free SO2: 30 mg/L
• Terroir: granite
• Contains sulphites
• Vinification: After manual harvesting and transport to the winery in small crates (18 - 20kg), the grapes were destemmed and macerated for 4 hours. This was followed by a light pressing and decanting (over 48 hours). Fermentation at controlled temperature (14 - 15°C) for 15 days.

Marcio Lopes: The Rising Star in Vinho Verde.

Márcio Lopes was born in Porto in 1983 and spent many summer holidays with his grandparents in the hinterland of Porto where they grew corn and wheat and also produced wine. At the age of 6, his grandmother put him in a lagar (traditional Portuguese granite basin used for winemaking) to stomp the grapes inside, as is still traditionally done today. This was the first of many many wines that young Márcio has since produced. The rest is history...

A year before graduating in Agricultural Engineering in 2006, Márcio started working with the famous winemaker Anselmo Mendes in Melgaço. In 2008 he went to Australia, where he was responsible for two classes in Rutherglen and Tasmania. In 2010 he started his own project “Pequenos Rebentos” (Portuguese for “little offspring”) in the Minho region, home of the Vinhos Verdes.

Manufacturer: Marcio Lopes, Unipessoal, Lda. Rua da Barranha 797, 4460-256 SENHORA DA HORA, Portugal