{"product_id":"pequenos-rebentos-viagem-ao-principio-do-mundo-2020-2021","title":"Pequenos Rebentos Viagem ao Princípio do Mundo 2020\/2021","description":"\u003cp\u003e \u003cstrong\u003ePequenos Rebentos Viagem ao Princípio do Mundo\u003c\/strong\u003e is a top white made by winemaker Márcio Lopes in Monção e Melgaço. Made from 100% Alvarinho, it stands out for its singular method, including ageing under a \"veil of flor\" in sherry casks.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine Advocate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRP 95\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2020 Pequenos Rebentos Viagem Princípio do Mundo is a new white made with Alvarinho. It was inspired by Marcello Mastroianni's last film, about a Frenchman who travels to Melgaço, his family's homeland; he speaks only French and doesn't understand Portuguese.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe idea for this wine was to find a plot in Melgaço and vinify it in the À Moda Antiga style, with whole bunches and skin contact in small plastic boxes, the grapes foot-trodden and fermented with indigenous yeasts, with skins and stems kept during fermentation. The wine then aged for 24 months in used sherry casks, where it developed a layer of flor yeast.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe spicy component from the sherry is very subtle here. The wine has a bright amber colour, and the nose isn't really varietal; it's very complex, marked by skin contact, the sherry casks and the flor, subtle, full of nuance and very different.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOn the palate it's serious and balanced, with texture and flavour, finishing with an almost salty sensation. 1,000 bottles were filled in October 2023.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMárcio Lopes has worked in the Monção e Melgaço sub-region of Vinho Verde since 2010. He has two hectares of vines, 0.5 hectares of Alvarinho and the rest old pergola-trained vines planted with red grapes. He farms without herbicides, organically, though not certified.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTo make his 150,000 bottles a year, he also works with 30 local growers, who together have about 20 hectares. He's come a long way since making his first 2,000 bottles of Alvarinho in 2010...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2021 was a cool, very interesting vintage, with wines that were initially closed but are now showing very well.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2022 was a very dry year; without the November and December rains it would have been the driest year of the century. It was also hot, and the wines have lower acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2023 was a balanced vintage, perhaps not the best year, but the wines are lovely, warm and dry, though not as much as 2022. Still, 2022 may have been better for Alvarinho...\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e2024 was an irregular vintage, with a dry harvest and healthy grapes, in an overall cooler season with good rain and lots of heat in July. The wines show tension and acidity.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished: 27 March 2025\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe Wine Advocate\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eRP 96\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eReviewed by: Luis Gutiérrez\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2021 Pequenos Rebentos Viagem Princípio do Mundo is creamy and complex, with yeasty and spicy notes and an incisive palate marked by mouth-watering citrus acidity. It's very young and vibrant, faithfully reflecting a cooler year. It has an almost fluorescent yellow colour — usually a good sign — and a complex, nuanced nose.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt has 13% alcohol, showing good ripeness and development of aromas and flavours, and very balanced acidity and freshness, with a pH of 3.17 and 6.5 grams of acidity. Despite the process and ageing, which might seem somewhat intrusive — 24 months in sherry casks, with some flor veil — these elements are just a nuance in a very complex, extraordinary white.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eUnfortunately, the price is quite high and availability limited: there are only 522 bottles, filled in October 2023. But the wine is superb!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eMárcio Lopes, who also calls his project Pequenos Rebentos, works in the Monção e Melgaço sub-region of Vinho Verde and in the Douro. He has two hectares around Melgaço, half a hectare of Alvarinho and 1.5 hectares of old pergola vines of red grapes. He also works with 30 local growers, totalling 20 hectares, producing about 150,000 bottles.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTasting his wines, I thought of Xurxo Alba Padín of Albamar in Rías Baixas, as both have a very diverse range of wines, all very characterful and able to express very different things from the same grape, Alvarinho\/Albariño. He's one of my favourite producers in Vinho Verde.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eI tasted wines from the 2024 to 2021 vintages. 2024 was balanced and serious, with high potential; 2023 was very floral and more delicate; 2022 was dry and hot, with very small bunches and more intense, structured wines; and 2021 was a cool year, giving wines with great acidity and excellent ageing potential.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003ePublished: 2 April 2026\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Márcio Lopes Winemaker","offers":[{"title":"2020","offer_id":53230706196817,"sku":null,"price":69.7,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true},{"title":"2021","offer_id":54767788851537,"sku":null,"price":69.7,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/3218\/4972\/files\/PRViagem.jpg?v=1772904003","url":"https:\/\/vinogrande.pt\/en\/products\/pequenos-rebentos-viagem-ao-principio-do-mundo-2020-2021","provider":"Vinogrande","version":"1.0","type":"link"}