Hugo Mendes Amphora 2022

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There are times that I think that to be in the wine business has more to do with an insane passion for the product you are handling than anything else. 

Having recently been at the 2026 edition of the Vinoble in Jérez de la Frontera, Spain, I was amazed with the amount of projects I came across which revealed a tremendous audacity and authenticity and that try to imprint a new character in the wine world.  

This is what fascinates me the most about working with wine.  

The passion that you can feel when you are facing a unique product which reflects a certain terroir, a particular view of a winemaker and an almost life philosophy is something that I can only recommend. 

It is this passion that has led me to start importing wines to Germany. More than a business idea, it is an impulse of sharing with others wines that I find  peculiar and that can awake emotions.

Just like this Amphora by Hugo Mendes.

With tremendous freshness and saltiness, this is a wine that presents a tremendous complexity of flavours revealing all the potential of the use of traditional clay amphoras when producing wine. Dominated by very well balanced cherry notes, it never finishes surprising in the complexity of secondary aromas that it presents. From some earthy clay notes to spices, passing through the saltiness that I have referred before, makes it a tremendous gastronomic wine. 

When I have first tried it, I soon grew the wish to have some Carne de porco à Alentejana as I think the exquisite marinade of orange juice and smoked pepper will perfectly match it, creating a whole new experience.

This is the kind of wine that I have no problem presenting it around here as a perfect example of a new wave of Portuguese wines which tend to reflect our roots with a firm presence in the future.

 

 

17/20

Country: Portugal
Region: Alentejo
Grapes: Aragones, Trincadeira, Tinta Grossa, Moreto
Winemaker: Hugo Mendes, Ricardo Santos
12%
Link: https://www.twawine.com/ 

 

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