Duckman Maria Duck Pet-Nat 2021

Maria Duck is a pétillant naturel made from 100% Fernão Pires (called Maria Gomes locally in Bairrada) sourced from 20-year-old vines on a 0.2-hectare plot of sandy soils in the Amoreira da Gândara vineyard. Grapes are hand-harvested in mid-August, vineyard sorted, and undergo a five-day maceration before being pressed into stainless steel for spontaneous fermentation with ambient yeasts.

The wine is bottled before primary fermentation finishes, capturing natural carbonation through the ancestral method. It is unfined, unfiltered, and released without disgorgement, which means it arrives hazy and with some lees sediment — that is not a flaw, it is the point. ABV clocks in just above 10%.

On the nose and palate: lemon curd, grapefruit pith, ripe mango, and papaya, with white pepper spice and a chalky, saline finish. Low alcohol, high energy, and genuinely refreshing. Drink it cold and soon after purchase.