Arribas Wine Company - 2020 - Manicómio Palhete

Arribas Manicómio is a collaborative project by Arribas Wines. Each year, they challenge a different winemaker to step outside their comfort zone. For the 2020 vintage, they invited João Tavares de Pina, a respected winemaker from the Dão region.

The 2020 growing season in Trás-os-Montes was mild, with a few bursts of hot weather. Grapes for Manicómio Red 2020 were hand-harvested from two very old vineyards in the second week of September. 70% were red grapes, and 30% were white.

The winemaking process employed a unique dual approach. Two-thirds of the grapes underwent whole-bunch foot treading in a traditional lagar for gentle maceration over 15 days. The remaining third went through carbonic maceration for the same period.

After maceration, all the grapes were pressed together and transferred to used oak barrels for spontaneous fermentation, including malolactic fermentation. The wine aged for 11 months in barrel before spending an additional 10 months in bottle prior to release.

Arribas Manicómio is unfined and unfiltered, allowing natural sediment to develop over time. This approach celebrates the raw and unadulterated character of the wine.