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Close up of label for Respiro Clarete 2021 from Cabeças do Reguengo, a light Portuguese clarete
Cabeças do Reguengo | Serra de São Mamede, Alentejo, Portugal
 
Respiro Clarete 2021 is a beautifully individual Portuguese wine from Cabeças do Reguengo, made from a field blend of old red and white vines in the mountains of Serra de São Mamede. The centenarian, pre-phylloxera bush vines are farmed with a strong focus on organic practices and old-vine preservation, producing a wine that's fresh, savoury and wonderfully light on its feet.
 
The 2021 is a fascinating mix of blueberry and redcurrant fruit, fresh vegetal and mineral notes, a touch of smoke and gently spicy tannins. Light in colour but full of flavour, it has the kind of mouth-watering freshness that makes you want another glass.

Respiro Clarete 2021

£26.50Price
Quantity

  • WHAT IS IT?

    A wonderfully distinctive clarete made from old, mixed plantings of red and white Portuguese varieties. From tiny plots of centenarian, pre-phylloxera bush vines at 550–600m altitude, this is fresh, savoury and incredibly drinkable, with silky tannins and mouth-watering acidity. Organic, biodynamic and made with minimal intervention.

  • WHERE'S IT FROM?

    Alentejo , Portugal

  • WHAT DOES IT GO WITH?

    Grilled sardines • roast chicken • charcuterie • hard cheeses

  • WINE-O-DETAILS

    Organic & Biodynamic | 11.5 % | Vegan Friendly | Field Blend

  • WHAT TO EXPECT?

    Respiro means “breath”, which feels particularly appropriate here. This is a wine all about freshness and energy rather than weight.

    The 2021 combines around 65% red and 35% white varieties, with grapes coming from several tiny plots of very old vines. The vineyards contain more than a dozen indigenous varieties planted together, rather than separated into neat rows by grape variety.

    The result is a wine that sits somewhere between red, rosé and something entirely its own. Think juicy red and blue fruit, herbs, mineral notes and a savoury finish, with silky tannins and plenty of refreshing acidity.

  • ABOUT THE PRODUCTION

    The grapes are hand harvested and fermented together in a cement vat, with the red grapes crushed and destemmed. After nine weeks of maceration and nine months in old 225L barrels, the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered, preserving its character and keeping the winemaking intervention to a minimum.

    There's no attempt to make this wine heavier or more polished than the vineyard wants it to be. The old vines, mixed varieties and gentle approach in the cellar do the work.

  • ABOUT THE PRODUCER

    Cabeças do Reguengo is the project of João Afonso, whose approach to wine began in the 1990s and has always centred on old vineyards, organic farming, sustainability and minimal intervention.

    The estate's wines come from centuries-old vineyards and are made with a strong belief that good wine starts with looking after the land. Biodynamic practices have been part of João's approach since the beginning of the 2000s, alongside organic production.

    The focus is firmly on old-vine preservation, biodiversity and expressing the character of these mountain vineyards.

    Respiro is the estate's range of wines of discovery — and this Clarete is a brilliant example: individual, fresh and completely at home in its mountain landscape.

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