2023 Folias de Baco Uivo "Renegado", Douro, Portugal

ABOUT THIS WINE

The 2023 Folias de Baco Uivo “Renegado”, from Tiago Sampaio in Douro, is a delightfully unconventional, field‑blend red that straddles the line between a light red and dark rosé. Sourced from 80‑year‑old vineyards on high‑altitude schist and granite slopes (550–700 m), it fuses over 25 indigenous red and white Portuguese grape varieties, all co-fermented after a brief 2‑3 day whole‑cluster maceration and spontaneous wild-yeast fermentation. Aged six months on lees—in two‑ to three‑year‑old chestnut oak barrels and cement tanks—the result is unfiltered, minimally sulfured, and organic-grown.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Folias de Baco is the personal, hands‑on project of winemaker Tiago Sampaio, a rising star in the natural wine world in Portugal. Based in the high-altitude Douro Valley, Tiago focuses on tiny-batch, artisanal wines from old, ungrafted vineyards—some over 80 years old—grown organically on schist and granite slopes. He employs co-fermentation of indigenous red and white grapes, minimal intervention in the cellar using spontaneous fermentations, whole-cluster maceration, and aging in neutral vessels like chestnut barrels and cement to preserve purity and terroir. Though relatively new to the scene, the winery has quickly gained attention for its expressive, light-footed style that reflects the rugged Douro's minerality and altitude‑driven freshness. Production is very limited—just a few hundred cases per year—and each bottling, including the “Renegado,” is unfiltered, lightly sulfured, and meant to be enjoyed young and slightly chilled.