Barbeito Rocim & Barbeito A Meias 2020

A Meias is a joint project between Barbeito, the Madeira house, and Herdade do Rocim in the Baixo Alentejo, bringing together two very different Portuguese wine cultures. It blends Verdelho and Sercial, both island grapes prized for freshness, and the fruit is worked away from stainless steel. The wine spends twelve months in clay amphorae, vessels that allow a slow, gentle exchange of air through their porous walls. That measured oxygen contact builds texture and a faint oxidative complexity while the neutral clay keeps the fruit clean and adds no wood flavour. It pours a pale citrus yellow. The nose leads with peach, floral nuances and hints of citrus, edged by subtle oxidative undertones that reflect the amphora ageing. The palate is fresh but textured, its orchard and citrus fruit carried by firm acidity, a light saline grip and a long, mineral finish. This is a white shaped as much by vessel as by grape, precise but with quiet depth. Serve chilled at around 11 degrees.