Humus - Curtimenta Branco

This wine is a fascinating and innovative blend, combining the white grapes Arinto and Fernão Pires which is then macerated with the skins of the white varietals. The key to the curtimenta style is the extended skin contact (maceration), which lasts around three to four months and imparts the characteristic orange hue and phenolic structure. Fermentation is entirely spontaneous using only indigenous, native yeasts in either clay amphoras (talhas) or stainless steel. Following this primary process, the wine is racked and aged for an additional eight to nine months in used oak and sometimes traditional chestnut barrels, a vessel historically common in Portuguese winemaking. Crucially, in line with the natural wine philosophy, the Curtimenta Branco is typically bottled unfined, unfiltered, and with no added sulfites, ensuring the final product is an unadulterated expression of the grape and the Atlantic-influenced, clay-limestone terroir near Óbidos.

The wine displays a deep, compelling golden-orange or amber color with a slight cloudiness due to the lack of filtration. The aromatic profile is highly complex, moving far beyond typical white wine descriptors to offer intense notes of dried apricot, candied orange peel, beeswax, and crushed forest herbs, often underpinned by an earthy, slightly nutty oxidative hint reminiscent of fino sherry. On the palate, the experience is textural and demanding; the initial impression of dried citrus and peach is quickly followed by the firm, grippy texture of tannins—a defining feature of skin-contact whites—which lends significant structure and a savory depth. The acidity, resulting from the vineyard’s cool Atlantic influence, remains high and lively, perfectly balancing the weight and phenolic bitterness from the skin contact. It finishes with impressive length, marked by a pronounced salinity and minerality, making it an exceptionally food-friendly, intellectually engaging wine for the adventurous palate.