INTERVAL TINTO

INTERVAL TINTO 2023

Region: Lisboa, Portugal

Grape: Castellaon, Touriga Nacional

Category : Red

A light red wine with a sea feel, perfect for summer!

Rodrigo calls Castellao the "Pinot Noir of Lisbon."
The pale color and soft tannins make it easy to understand why, and it has a smooth mouthfeel.
A new genre of easy red wine not found in France or Italy.
A dangerous wine that you could keep drinking forever without any stress.

Clay-limestone soil. Hand-picked after harvest.
The stems are removed and the wine is fermented in a lager (open stainless steel tank) using natural yeast.
After fermentation, the wine is transferred to stainless steel tanks and aged in the same tanks until bottling in August of the following year.

[Producer information]

He was born in Obidos, a seaside town near Lisbon, the capital of Portugal.
He aspired to be a musician (trumpet player), but gave up on the professional path while studying agriculture at university.

He met a professor at that time who introduced him to a new approach to cultivation and brewing that was different from the conventional mass production model, and he became strongly attracted to it. After graduating from the Department of Agriculture, he studied brewing at graduate school, and then became involved with the IWC (International Wine Challenge) in London to cultivate an international perspective.
Through this experience, I gained "international common sense" and
I became interested in natural wines that express the characteristics of the grapes and the geography.
A wine that expresses the characteristics of the native varieties grown in Obidos and the scenery. The clay-limestone soil and the cool breezes from the Atlantic Ocean give it a cool, salty taste, creating a wine that makes the most of it!
By the way, Obidos is located very close to Nazaré, a mecca for surfing, where some of the world's largest waves crash into the water.
It is also known as the "Pearl of the Valley" and is considered one of the most beautiful villages in Portugal.

[Cultivation]
Rodrigo says that sustainable cultivation methods and respect for tradition are the key to producing exceptional wines, and his vineyards and cellars are located in the Lisbon area, one of Portugal's leading wine producing regions.
Although it is not certified, it is completely BIO.
The company's own 5 hectares of vineyards are located in the Alcobaça and Óbidos areas.
There are also young plots that were planted just a few years ago. In 2007, they partnered with a grape farmer living in the same area, and are responsible for managing the fields, including converting to organic farming in 2021, and purchasing grapes from them, making a positive impact on the surrounding area and engaging in sustainable winemaking.

[Variety]

The varieties cultivated are mainly native varieties such as Fernão Pires (white), Arinto, Bical (white), and Castellao (red), but also Albariño, Boal (white), and Touriga Nacional (red).
They are particular about carefully expressing the aroma and mouthfeel of each variety.
Rodrigo says that the most important thing is to use native varieties, ferment with natural yeast, and follow a ``hands-off'' brewing method that involves neither adding nor subtracting from the grape juice, with minimal intervention, and to manage the vineyards organically and respect nature.