Talha wine production was introduced to Alentejo by the Romans, about 2000 years ago. The team at XXVI Talhas have revived the winery at Vila Alva, which contained 26 Amphora, and put them back into use. The wines are made with little intervention and are packed full of character! The Tareco cuvees get barely 3 months in amphora before being decanted on dia de são martinho – St. Martin’s Day, 11th Nov – the traditional day for celebrating the bounty of the harvest crop, where the new amphora wines are first enjoyed in communal gatherings and feasts. The Branco is perfumed and floral, with a small influence from the talhas. There’s lovely citrus zest and stone fruit, along with a slight note of sweet richness. Minerality adds lift to the nose, but is more evident through a textural palate, where the natural weight and body is balanced by great acidity.
