This Alfrocheiro wine is made by Peter Bright, an adventurous Australian wine-maker who travelled the Europe making wines and settled in Portugal where he set about modernizing the local wine scene focussing on bringing out the best in local varietals

The vineyard Boa Vista is just south of Portalegre in the Alto Alentejo some 300m to 600m above sea-level and the Alentejan plain to the south. Its still hot during day, tempered with Atlantic sea breezes, but cool nights allow the grapes some respite and keep that all-important freshness and acidity.

The Alfrocheiro grape variey is a very exciting variety from the Dao area and is similar to Pinot Noir with flavours of cherries, strawberries and blackberries.

Hand havested in whole bunches, about 25% thrown into the tank and the other 75% crushed and pumped over the top. Some of the must undergoes carbonic maceration which is a type of fermentation without oxygen, accentuating the cherry and strawberry fruit favours and softening the tannins (as with Gamay in Beaujolais) to produce lovely soft aromatic wine.

The wine then undergoes small batch fermentation at cool temperature to retain the vibrant fruit flavour. A short period is spent ageing in used oak barrels.

You can drink this young, or slightly chilled in the summer and enjoy its lovely soft berry fruit, spice and oak