Isabella, Azores, Portugal 

A vivacious, aromatic and volcanic Portuguese hybrid wine with a notorious history. Worldly winemaker Antonio Maçanita works to capture the essence of regional terroir and traditions through the grapes that move him. Home to unique, volcanic basalt soils, the Azores is a Portuguese archipelago where wine has been made since the 15th century when it was introduced by Franciscan friars. With this rosé, Antonio is paying tribute to the old isabella vines that had been abundant on the island over the last 200 years before the vine louse phylloxera changed everything! Known for its earthy, irony and salty character, isabella is an officially BANNED hybrid grape in the region, as it is actually responsible for bringing the famous, vine-eating louse PHYLOXERA from North America to Europe, #offtheguestlist! Technically the fault of humans not understanding isolation times needed for transporting plants, we think this grape is absolutely delicious and we love Maçanita’s rose-coloured celebration of this prohibited beauty. Grown in vineyards close to the salty sea breezes, the grapes underwent a short n’ sweet, three-to-six hours of skin-contact before fermenting and resting in stainless steel tanks for a little nap. Rosewater, grapefruit skins, watermelon gummies, forced rhubarb, a waxy tactility, a salty and clearly volcanic minerality & underripe plum tartness. Pour alongside almond, anchovy and garlic stuffed olives.