Aphros Phaunus Loureiro 2022

Aphros is the personal wine project of Vasco Croft, one of Portugal’s early champions of biodynamic farming and natural winemaking. Based in the Lima Valley in northern Portugal, the estate works in the cool, Atlantic influenced landscape of Vinho Verde, where granite soils and abundant rainfall shape wines with naturally high acidity and freshness. Aphros is certified biodynamic and approaches the vineyards as part of a larger living ecosystem rather than simply a source of grapes.

Phaunus is the estate’s more experimental amphora range, and this wine offers a completely different expression of loureiro from the light, crisp style most commonly associated with Vinho Verde. The 2022 is made from 100% loureiro grown on approximately 20 hectares of south facing vineyards. Rather than immediately separating the juice from the skins, the grapes undergo spontaneous fermentation with their skins in clay amphorae lined with beeswax.

The wine remains on its lees in amphora for about six months before bottling, with no conventional oak or heavily manipulative cellar techniques shaping the final wine. Skin fermentation gives the wine its deeper color, texture and aromatic complexity, while amphora preserves the freshness and transparency of loureiro. Production is small, at roughly 6,000 liters, or about 8,000 bottles.

The result is an orange wine that feels lively rather than heavy or aggressively tannic. Expect citrus peel, orchard fruit, herbs and subtle floral notes alongside a gentle grip and stony mineral character. At just 10.5% alcohol, the 2022 has remarkable freshness and drinkability, making it a great example of how skin contact can give loureiro more texture and depth without losing the energy that makes the grape so distinctive.