# Lábios Nus Branco (2023)

- **Producer:** Alagoa 1919
- **Colour:** orange
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Arinto, Crato Branco, Rabigato
- **Region:** Algarve, Portugal
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.0%
- **Average price:** €21
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 12–14 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** quince, apple, orange, lavender, marmalade, cinnamon

## About this wine

Lábios Nus ('Naked Lips') originates from the wind-swept schist slopes of Castro Marim in the eastern Algarve. The project was conceived by the late historian and writer Jacinto Palma Dias, who dedicated years to building small earth dams to create an ecologically sustainable micro-climate in this arid landscape. Today, his nephew Jacinto Manuel Palma Dias continues this vision, restoring historic old vines and crafting low-intervention amphora wines that express the traditional viticultural heritage of Southern Portugal.

## Interesting facts

- The estate relies on small earth dams built over decades to store water in one of Portugal's driest regions.
- Lábios Nus translates to 'Naked Lips', highlighting the raw, natural presentation of this amphora wine.
- The grapes undergo a full 6 months of skin maceration inside clay amphorae with zero oak exposure.
- Bottles are sealed without foil capsules to allow optimal natural breathing through solid 49mm corks.

## Food pairing

As an orange wine with 6 months of skin maceration, Lábios Nus possesses phenolic structure, crisp acidity, and savory complexity. This makes it a versatile bridge between white and red wine pairings. It cuts effortlessly through rich, oily seafood and fatty pork dishes while matching the intensity of aged cheeses and charcuterie.

## Wine making process

Crafted by winemaker Carlos Raposo in collaboration with viticultural consultant Aníbal Neto, the grapes are hand-harvested in small 12 kg crates. After 100% destemming, fermentation occurs spontaneously using indigenous yeasts in terracotta clay amphorae. The wine undergoes an extended 6-month skin maceration inside the amphorae, followed by 12 months total maturation in new clay vessels. It is bottled unfined with only a minimal sulfur addition and sealed with natural 49mm corks without capsules.