Portugal, Alentejo

Aragonez (Tempranillo), Alicante Bouschet

A comforting hug of mixed berry pie. Dark, lush and stewed. Tobacco, plum and blueberry give way to chocolate and berry preserves, with a generous amount of baking spice. Like the softest couch that you can sink into but not hit the floor- that's the minerality grounding you.

When the region needed a reservoir built where their town was (now the biggest artificial lake in Europe), it was agreed not only to move the town of Aldeia de Luz above the water line, but olive groves and vineyards were planted to create an economy for the town. Aplanta is the town's communal project. Farming organically in a very arid region on sandy loam and schist soils. These wines are hugely expressive for the price.