# Pequenos Rebentos Alvarinho (2025)

- **Producer:** Márcio Lopes
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Alvarinho
- **Region:** Vinho Verde, Portugal
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €14
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 8–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** peach, pear, apple, grapefruit, blossom, gooseberry, lime, fennel

## About this wine

Márcio Lopes, known as the 'Magician of Melgaço,' is a pivotal figure in Portugal's low-intervention wine movement. His 'Pequenos Rebentos' (Little Shoots) project, launched in 2010, is dedicated to restoring ancient, near-forgotten vineyards. Lopes works with smallholder family plots, paying a premium for old-vine (pre-1993) and herbicide-free grapes to preserve the region's viticultural heritage. This specific Alvarinho bottling highlights the unique terroir of Monção e Melgaço within the DOC Vinho Verde appellation, with 70% of the fruit coming from Melgaço's granitic soils, contributing small berries and focused minerality, and 30% from Monção's richer soils, adding tropical fruit structure. The winemaking emphasizes natural processes and minimal intervention.

## Interesting facts

- Márcio Lopes is known as the 'Magician of Melgaço' for his work with low-intervention wines.
- The 'Pequenos Rebentos' project focuses on restoring ancient, near-forgotten vineyards.
- Grapes are sourced from herbicide-free, old-vine plots (pre-1993) to preserve heritage.
- The wine achieves its texture and salinity naturally through skin contact and lees aging.

## Food pairing

The wine's high acidity, pronounced minerality, and saline finish make it an exceptional partner for seafood and lighter fare. The acidity cuts through richness and cleanses the palate, while the mineral notes complement the briny character of shellfish and fish. Lighter preparations and fresh ingredients allow the wine's delicate fruit and herbal nuances to shine.

## Wine making process

The Pequenos Rebentos Alvarinho 2025 grapes are hand-harvested in small crates to prevent damage. They undergo 8 hours of pre-fermentative skin contact (maceration pelicular) before gentle pressing and a 48-hour cold static settling. Fermentation is carried out spontaneously with indigenous yeasts over 15 days at a controlled temperature of 18°C–23°C, a warmer range than typical for Vinho Verde, aimed at enhancing natural texture. The wine is aged for 5 months in stainless steel vats on its fine lees, with regular weekly bâttonage (lees stirring) to build mid-palate volume and richness. This process, along with skin contact and lees aging, contributes to the wine's texture, structure, and distinctive salinity without artificial adjustments.