White wine from a red grape
Very pale, somewhere between a white and a pale rosé. Sour strawberry, lemon zest, lime and a touch of tropical fruit. Light, dry and mineral, with a herby edge and a little texture from the skins. Fresh and very easy to drink.
- sour strawberry
- lemon zest
- lime
- tropical fruit
- Body
- light
- Acidity
- crunchy
- Grip
- gentle
- Fruit
- mineral
Baga and Maria Gomes
Baga is the famously tough red grape of Bairrada. Here its juice is pressed off straight away, with no skin contact, so it stays white.
A small part of Maria Gomes, a local white grape, goes in with its skins for five days. That adds perfume and a little texture.
Pressed white, then six months in large oak barrels
- 30-year-old vinesOn clay-limestone and sand in Bairrada
- Baga pressed straight awayNo skin contact, so the juice stays white
- Five days with Maria Gomes skinsFor aromas and a little grip
- Wild yeasts, steel tankFermented with the yeasts from the grapes
- Six months in big oak650-litre French barrels, then bottled unfiltered
Maria João Pato and Luís Pato
Luís Pato is the best-known name in Bairrada, the region between Coimbra and the Atlantic that lives on one stubborn red grape, Baga. His father João Pato was, in 1970, the first grower here to bottle his own wine instead of selling it on.
The Duck wines are the young side of the house. Maria João Pato, Luís's daughter, started them in 2018 with her father: low alcohol, light hands, playful names, and the same local grapes, Baga, Bical and Maria Gomes, worked in new ways.
How to serve and pair it
Some pairing ideas
- Steamed clamsLight, salty wine for shellfish
- Grilled hakeLean fish, lean wine
- Pastéis de bacalhauSalt cod fritters, a classic Portuguese petisco
- Pork rillettesFresh acidity cuts the fat
If you like this one, try...
Meunier is a red grape too, pressed white. Natural Champagne from Chavost.
The opposite recipe: white grape with a dash of Baga skins, for a pale red.
A light, local rosé for the same moments.
More from Luis Pato
Producer: Adega Luís Pato, Rua da Quinta Nova, 3780-017 Amoreira da Gândara, Portugal