Grapes: Baga
Region: Bairrada, Portugal
Vintage: 2022
Viticulture: Biodynamic
Vinification: Inspired by the Romans who left their clay jars in the region, the wine is fermented in amphorae with a long maceration on the skins.
Aging: Aged for a further 6 months in amphorae to soften the tannins of the Baga grape.
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: Minimal added
Notes from the Importer: Filipa Pato: winegrower in Bairrada. A graduate of the University of Coimbra as a chemical engineer, she refined her skills working harvests in Bordeaux, Mendoza, Margaret River, and right at home in Bairrada with her father, Luis Pato, the Baga Rebel. (In 2020 Filipa was elected Winemaker of the Year in Portugal by the Revista de Vinhos, the first Portugese woman to earn the title in 30 years.)
Williams Wouters: chef sommelier/ restaurateur. Hailing from a restarateuring family from Antwerp, Belgium, William is a champion sommelier and former head chef to the Belgian national soccer team on the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil and 2016 UEFA European Cup France tours.
Together, they are Filipa Pato & William Wouters. Their philosophy is simple: to create authentic wines without makeup, wines that express the true nature of the vineyards from which they come. They focus on indigenous grapes only: in their hands, biodynamically-farmed Baga, Bical, Arinto, Cercial and Maria Gomes produce soulful wines from vineyards with ideal soils, microclimates and aspects for growing exquisite wine grapes.
In the cellar they gently handle the grapes, practicing minimal intervention guarded by strict monitoring of the wine to allow the grapes to express themselves fully. The ultimate outcome? The creation of terroir-driven wines through the uniting of knowledge, art, and nature.
