Tubarão Vinhos Rosé Pét-Nat Masseira 2024

From the sandy fields of Póvoa de Varzim in northern Portugal comes this Pét-Nat gem, a blend led by Vinhão and Loureiro. Made using ancestral sparkling wine methods, it has gentle effervescence and vibrant, lively acidity. This debut release includes disgorgement on select bottles to remove sediment — a bold twist for the more adventurous drinker.

The wine takes its character from the masseiras — a remarkable, almost-forgotten agricultural tradition found in Estela, Navais and Aguçadoura in Póvoa de Varzim, and in Apúlia and Fão in Esposende. These are large rectangular cavities dug into the coastal dunes, with vines planted around their edges to shield the fruit from Atlantic winds. Curiously, the water sitting at the centre of these cavities is fresh, not salt, and between the space, water and sargassum seaweed used to nourish the soil, conditions for growth are ideal. The shallow, sunken structure of the masseiras, combined with raised sand walls called valos and the surrounding vine barrier, creates a natural, greenhouse-like microclimate. The valos themselves were built by hand in the 18th century by Benedictine monks from the Abbey of Tibães, using excess sand from the dunes.

Tubarão Pét-Nat is a tribute to this distinctive, nearly-lost coastal winegrowing tradition — grown entirely in Atlantic sand.

Region: Northern Portugal, Póvoa de Varzim

Serving Temperature: Best served chilled at 8°C