Folias de Baco Uivo Curtido 2020

Uivo Curtido is a skin-contact white wine made from 100% Moscatel Galego grown on 35-plus-year-old vines across 2 hectares of schist and granite soils in the Cima-Corgo sub-region near Alijó, at roughly 600 meters elevation. Grapes are hand-harvested in September, undergo rigorous sorting in the vineyard, and are partially de-stemmed directly into 5,000-liter cement tanks without mechanical pressing.

From there, the wine macerates on skins for four months. Spontaneous fermentation with ambient yeasts runs approximately three weeks under temperature control. After pressing, the wine rests on lees for two months without stirring, then ages in cement tanks for six additional months. No fining, no filtration, no added SO2.

The result is an intensely amber-yellow wine with a haze from the natural sediment. Moscatel Galego is an aromatic variety, and the extended skin time amplifies its natural perfume while adding textural grip and phenolic structure. Expect rose petal, lychee, tangerine, and grapefruit alongside a mineral wet-stone note that runs through the finish.

Tiago Sampaio farms organically and uses biodynamic and regenerative techniques across his holdings in Sanfins do Douro. The Uivo label, launched in 2007, was among the first in Portugal to produce pet-nat and curtimenta (skin-contact white) at commercial scale.