Arinto dos Acores 2018

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There are certain wines that we end up buying after a long and careful search, several readings and/or references from friends.  This often makes the expectation of having it rather bigger, creating a certain adrenaline when you are finally about to open the bottle.
That was exactly what happened with me with this wine.
Last year I have met a friend of mine who´s working with wines in Berlin and after a long and pleasant talk about a recent wine fair where he was, he took me to quite nice bar where he assured me there was this Arinto dos Acores, made by one of the star Portuguese winemakers, António Macanita.
The place was a mix between vintage and posh in what many may define as "typical Berlin". We were welcomed by the local sommelier who in a rather sorrow look apologized to us saying that he had just sold the very last bottle. Sure has he proposed another one, but my friend just spent the rest of the night in a rather lame tone guaranteeing me that I have just missed something great.
Produced in the volcanic island of Pico in the UNESCO-designated vineyards, in 2018 there were 14970 bottles produced from which one has landed at my place in Hamburg about six months past the Berlin story that I have just told you.
Now it came the high time to open it and finally see whether the expectations that have been raised in these last times matched the experience of drinking it.
One of the questions I had before trying it was to see how Arinto dos Acores would resemble the one from Bucelas which always originates incredibly pleasant acidity, reflecting the Atlantic breeze. As soon as I have opened the bottle, it was clear to me that it was not only present but in a rather exceptional way.
The pale citrus colour was a perfect suit to its strong mineral taste with some seducing salty notes. It is a very agreeable wine, with a good balance making it a tremendously malleable gastronomic match.
Definitely a wine that deserves to be open to celebrate life in all its splendor. 
Such as the splendor that I often feel when reading Kerouac´s haikus, such as this one that I share with you:

The taste
of rain
—Why kneel?
 




17/20
Country: Portugal
Region: Acores
Grapes: Arinto dos Acores
12,5%
Winemaker: António Macanita
Website: http://azoreswinecompany.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/07/ARINTO-2018-PT-WEB-1.pdf
Location: Hamburg, Germany

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