With its pale red colour, negligible tannin, bright red fruit character and meaty undertone, this put us in mind of a Pinot Noir. Minimal sulphites makes for a slightly reductive character, and the winemaker recommends giving this one a little time to breathe. We get intriguing notes of wild strawberry, cranberry, rosemary and black olive.

In 2020, after 15 years in the mainstream Portuguese wine industry, André Duque Lourenćo decided to stop making ‘Coca-Cola wines’ for other people. He chose instead to make his own small batch natural wines, from old vineyards planted with low-yielding, indigenous grape varieties. He founded the Gardunha Sul winery, and this wine is one of his ‘Primeiras Gotas’ – or first drops.

Andre’s mission, in his own words, is to

1) Have sustainable vineyards, with organic and biodynamic principles, with minimal intervention and treatments

2) Research and preserve old grape varieties – I don’t want quantities but typicity and uniqueness