Field Blend, Douro Valley, Portugal

A lightweight and shiny ruby field blend from the steep & stunning slopes of the Douro Valley! In this house, we’re a field blend family. A delicious polyphony of white & red grapes, each contributing to reflect the unique land and a year of growth? OK sign us up! Wise winemaker Joana Maçanita makes ‘Letra F’ in the Douro – the top hat of Portugal marked by steep cliffs and terraces bending around a winding river below – and she lives by her adherence to tenacious natural viticulture, using fruit from only the oldest and hardest-to-reach vines. ‘Letra F’ is just about as spicy and impassioned as she is! After whole cluster fermentation and a month on its skins, this fervent field blend ages in stainless steel keeping it fresh and crunchy. Unbelievably charming now, it’s a beguiling garden: ancient plum trees, cherry shrubs, scrubby cassis, dots of daisies everywhere, graphite walking stones & an overgrown patch of tulsi. Pour alongside some whole grilled sea bass with salsa verde then with a custard tart then with an energetic radio play. Rachel Cairns’ “Hypothetical Baby,” perhaps?