Maçanita De Castelão Tinto

Description

Maçanita A Castelão (also known as Periquita) is a low‑concentration grape, essential in the region’s early vineyards but fell out of favour in the era of concentrated reds. Rooted in Alentejo, in just over ten years since our first edition its planted area has shrunk, dropping from the third to the sixth most planted variety, even overtaken by imported cultivars. The elders claimed its virtue lay not in concentration but in longevity: “it needs time!” We gave this “Tinto de Castelão” that very time, allowing it to express itself in its more delicate colour and elegance. The result? A nostalgic smile, as if tasting something from the past. **Gastronomy:** A red with good acidity, ideal for pairing with fatty fish, stews and more complex meats. **Soils:** Granitic with a strong presence of active limestone, slightly basic pH. **Viticulture:** Grapes produced under certified organic production, without herbicides, in a dry regime and without irrigation. All vineyards are certified in Alentejo’s sustainability programme. **Vinification:** Nighthand hand‑harvest. Selection on a picking table; 30 % whole bunches and 70 % de‑stemmed. The berries were lightly crushed and transferred to gravity‑driven fermentation vessels. Cold maceration until the onset of spontaneous fermentation, followed by a 35‑day maceration. **Stage:** 18 months in used French oak barrels. **Analyses:** Sulphites: 55 < SO₂ < 85 mg/L (bio‑wine limit < 100 mg/L; biodynamic limit < 70 mg/L) **Winemaker:** António Maçanita **Winemaker:** Sandra Sárria **Awards** 2010 Wine Enthusiast – 90 pts – Editor’s Choice; 2010 Wine Advocate – 89 pts **Allergen information** Contains sulphites.