Description

Wine made in amphora, known locally as talhas, is very important to the Alentejo region of Portugal. Brought to the region originally by the Romans, the tradition has been maintained, largely by families making wine for themselves, for thousands of years.

XXVI Talhas was started by a group of friends looking to share and celebrate this local speciality, using the ancestral methods and local grape varieties to make gorgeous and authentic wines. As the name implies, they have 26 of these amphora, some of which were made in the 19th century and each impart their unique personality to the wines.

The Branco do Tareco is a blend of local white varieties Antao Vaz, Diagalves and Perrum which remains on the skins in amphora for around two and a half months. Fermentation is made with only the wild yeast present on the grapes and in their old cellar and the wine is naturally filtered through the grape solids in the talha.

Golden in colour, it presents luscious aromas of dried apricot, mandarin, wildflowers and almond. On the palate it is full-bodied, despite being just 12% alcohol, with nice pithy tannin and a lovely fresh finish. A great example of a skin-contact (orange) wine that is both approachable and satisfyingly deep and flavoursome.