# COZs Pop Tinto (2023)

- **Producer:** Da Cruz e Teles
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Castelão
- **Region:** Lisbon, Portugal
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €15
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 12–15 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, raspberry, herbaceous, cedar

## About this wine

COZs is a collaborative project created in 2015 by Portuguese winemakers Tiago Teles and António Marques da Cruz. The endeavor pays homage to the late José Mendonça of Quinta dos Cozinheiros, a pioneering figure in low-intervention Portuguese winemaking. The fruit comes from Vinha da Murta, a vineyard planted in 2006 in the protected landscape of Serra de Montejunto, sitting just 8 to 15 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean on high-limestone clay soils.

## Interesting facts

- Formed to honor legendary natural winemaker José Mendonça after his tragic passing in 2009.
- Rethinks Castelão by using short stem maceration to create a vibrant light red instead of a heavy extraction.
- Vineyards are situated less than 15 kilometers from the Atlantic Ocean on limestone-rich clay.

## Food pairing

With its light-to-medium body, high Atlantic acidity, and low-tannin structure, this red pairs exceptionally well with lean meats, oily ocean fish, and earthy vegetable dishes. The vibrant acidity cuts cleanly through poultry fat and roasted pork without overpowering lighter textures.

## Wine making process

Hand-harvested organically grown Castelão grapes undergo a short 5-day whole-cluster maceration with stems in 1,000-liter dornas. Fermentation is entirely spontaneous driven by native yeasts. The wine is then pressed into 2,000-liter oval oak casks where it completes fermentation and ages for roughly 11 months. Bottling is completed without fining or filtration, and with minimal sulfur added.