Permitido Branco Douro

Permitido Branco 2018 is made from grapes from the Upper Douro, near the Trás-os-Montes border. The grapes ( 100% Rabigato ) come from old vines that give the wine its power and freshness and a long aging potential. The vineyards thrive on granite soils at 650 meters above sea level and are worked very naturally, without any machines.

The Permitido Branco 2018 pleases the nose with its freshness and intensity with notes of white fruits. On the palate it is very fresh and dry, revealing an attractive aromatic elegance with notes of ripe citrus and a delicate mineral touch. A harmonious wine with lots of freshness and a very long finish.

Goes very well with oily fish such as tuna, mackerel and sardines, with white meat and poultry. It is best to drink at a temperature of 12ºC. Can be enjoyed immediately or for the next 10 to 20 years provided it is stored in a cool, dry place, away from light and without temperature fluctuations.

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: 2018
• Varieties: 100% Rabigato
• Alcohol content: 12.5% ​​vol.
• Total acidity : 6.2 g/L
• Production area: Douro Superior
• Residual sugar : 2.0 g/L
• pH : 3.20
• 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 briefly macerated and fermented at low temperature in stainless steel tanks.
• Aging: 8 months in stainless steel tanks on fine lees (“sur lies”)

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