{"title":"Malvasia","description":null,"products":[{"product_id":"arribas-wine-company-belfo-branco-2023","title":"Arribas Wine Company Belfo Branco 2023","description":"\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eArribas Wine Company is a small, boutique winemaking project founded in 2017 by friends Frederico Machado and Ricardo Alves, based in the village of Bemposta in Mogadouro, right in the far northeastern corner of Portugal — Trás-os-Montes, literally \"behind the mountains.\" Their vineyards sit on steep, granite-boulder-strewn hills overlooking the Douro river, just across from Spain's Arribes region — close enough, geographically and spiritually, that they named their project after it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eBoth founders cut their teeth elsewhere before coming home: Frederico trained in Enology at UTAD and did harvests with Dirk Niepoort in the Douro, Susana Esteban in Alentejo, and stints in Oregon and Victoria, Australia, before he and Ricardo decided the time was right to build something of their own. Trás-os-Montes is one of Portugal's most overlooked wine regions — cold winters, high altitude, granite and schist soils, and a huge diversity of old, often-forgotten grape varieties (Tinta Gorda, Bastardo, Rufete, Verdelho and more). Arribas farms old, neglected vineyards traditionally and sustainably, with minimal-intervention winemaking, working to show the world what this remote, previously underestimated corner of Portugal can really do. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eBelfo is the word given to someone that speaks with their mouth full and this wine aims to express this metaphor in liquid form. A wine made from a very old parcel from Peredo de Bemposta, where the soil also presents limestone [aside from granite].\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGrapes were hand picked on September 7th into 20kg cases and transported to our cellar where they were whole bunch foot trodden. After a short 12 hour period of skin contact [maceration] grapes were pressed and the juice was racked to used French oak barrels where both alcoholic and malolactic fermentations finished. After 12 months of aging in barrel, the wine was racked to a stainless steel tank for an additional 6 months of aging before bottling in February. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e'Belfo' is a striking, fresh, savoury white wine that captures the spirit of Portugal's new and increasingly exciting winemaking scene. It comes from a single vineyard in Peredo de Bemposta, a site defined by granite soils and high altitude. The name itself means \"talking with your mouth full\" — a nod to both the wine's textural, mouth-filling character and the spontaneous, unguarded spirit behind its making. Beyond the bottle, the 'Belfo' project also supports local cultural associations, helping preserve the region's traditions and heritage.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eThe wine is a field blend of white varieties including Verdelho, Malvasia, Posto Branco and Bastardo Branco, sourced from a single vineyard of vines aged between 70 and 90 years old. The vines grow on a rocky slope of decomposed granite laced with quartz and limestone, at 650–700 metres altitude in the historic Trás-os-Montes region. Grapes are hand-harvested in small crates, foot-trodden as whole bunches, and given a short 6–8 hour pre-fermentation skin maceration. Fermentation happens spontaneously in French oak barrels (15–20% new), followed by full malolactic fermentation and 10 months' ageing on fine lees.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003eIn the glass, 'Belfo' shows an intense straw-yellow colour with orange highlights. The nose is bold and layered — ripe yellow fruit and dried apple sit alongside wild Mediterranean scrubland, iodine-like sea-salt notes and a subtle touch of butter. The palate is full-bodied and almost tactile in its richness, warm and generous, yet balanced by lively freshness and a long, savoury, mineral-driven finish. Short maceration keeps tannin light while intensity stays high — this is a wine built with real presence, ideal alongside big, flavour-forward seafood dishes.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp dir=\"ltr\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003eEvery year we change the label and support a local association. For this 2023 vintage we partnered with Projeto Agua, founded by Dr. Antonio Guillen, that aims to study Duoro's water quality by analysing it's microfauna and microflora.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis wine is a natural product, unfined and unfiltered, and may present sedimentation over time.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Artisan Wines","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45015879352389,"sku":"AWC23BB","price":80.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0727\/8644\/4357\/files\/belfobranco.png?v=1778822164"}],"url":"https:\/\/artisanwine.com.au\/collections\/malvasia.oembed","provider":"Artisan Wines","version":"1.0","type":"link"}