Clay Pot White Wine From Portugal's Alentejo

Portuguese wines are a treat, whether you're drinking a wonderful Porto or a still wine from the Douro Valley. Today's wine is from the Alentejo region in the south of Portugal.

The 2024 Rocim Amphora Vinho Branco Alentejo DOC is a white wine, made in the ancient traditional method. Fermentation took place at the grapes' pace, in clay pots, with no temperature control, using indigenous yeasts, and with no adjustments made to the juice. They let the grapes speak for themselves.

The grapes in question were 40% Antão Vaz, 20% Perrum, 20% Rabo de Ovelha, and 20% Manteudo, all grown in Portugal's Alentejo region. Antão Vaz is a white grape with thick skin, which loves hot weather. You may know Perrum under its Spanish name, Pedro Ximénez. Rabo de Ovelha translates as "sheep’s tail" in Portuguese, for the way the grape bunches look. Manteudo is another thick-skinned grape native to Alentejo. Alcohol is quite low, at 11.5% abv, and the retail price is around $20.

This wine is a golden yellow in the glass. The nose shows minerals, apples, stone fruit, and salinity with a lanolin backbeat. The palate has those same traits, but leans a bit heavier into the salinity. The acidity is fresh, but not razor-sharp. It finishes medium long. I paired mine with a lentil and sweet potato salad, with a good result. 

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Incredible Portuguese White Wine At An Incredible Price

Portuguese wines are a treat, whether you’re drinking a wonderful Porto or a still wine from the Douro Valley. Today's wine is from the Alentejo region in the south of Portugal.

Herdade do Rocim's 2024 Mariana is a white Alentejano wine which was named after a cloistered nun. Mariana Alcoforado lived in the Beja Castle in the 17th century. The castle was already centuries old at that time. Why the namesake? From the terraces of Rocim Winery, one can see the famed tower of the castle. She reportedly wrote Letters of a Portuguese Nun, a collection of five letters she wrote to her lover, a French military man. That's the story, anyway.

The wine is even more interesting than the story behind the name. Mariana is made from 60% Antão Vaz grapes, 30% Arinto, and 10% Alvarinho. Antão Vaz is a thick-skinned white grape which thrives in hot weather. Arinto delivers high acidity, and Alvarinho is the Portuguese name for the Spanish Albariño. The wine was aged for three months in concrete tanks, has an alcohol level of 12% abv and sells for around $20. 

This wine has a clean, yellow glow in the glass. The nose is full of lemon and herbal aromas. Minerals abound on the palate, along with a delightfully racy acidity. Sweet lemon flavors and a mineral-laden salinity mark this wine as one to look for.

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