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Aphros, Loureiro Amphora 'Phaunus' [Orange], 2023

Orange Wine from Other Portugal, Portugal
by Aphros
$32.99
Taxes and shipping calculated at checkout.
Use code 10OFF to get 10% off 12+ bottles

Skin-contact Vinho Verde that ferments on its skins in beeswax-lined clay amphorae, ages seven months on its lees, and still comes in at 10% alcohol. Vasco Croft arrived at wine from architecture and furniture design by way of Rudolf Steiner, and he farms his family's quinta, Casal do Paco, biodynamically on granite in the Lima Valley, the inland stretch of Vinho Verde where Loureiro rather than Alvarinho is the great white grape. The Phaunus wines are made in a cellar that runs without electricity, fermented with wild yeasts in 1,300-to-1,400-liter clay talhas, with no sulfur added and no fining or filtration. What comes out is deep gold and lightly tannic rather than heavy, Loureiro's floral perfume still intact under a chalky, savory grip. Only about 5,500 bottles were made. Serve it cool rather than cold and give it an hour open.

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Robert Parker

92 points

"I would have said the 2023 Phaunus Loureiro was produced with Moscatel, Malvasia or another aromatic variety, as it is very floral and showy. But it was produced with Loureiro grapes and has a peachy character and a tender and gentle palate, with lightness, easy to drink. It's a skin-contact white with 10% alcohol, a pH of 3.61 and 5.3 grams of acidity. It fermented in old amphorae where it was with skins for seven months!! 5,700 bottles produced. It was bottled in August 2024." —Luis Gutiérrez

More about Aphros

We all know how refreshing Vinho Verde is. What we didn't know, until we tasted Aphros, was how serious it could be. Vasco Croft makes Vinho Verde that is layered, mineral and complex, yet (this is Vinho Verde after all) still utterly refreshing and often remarkably low in alcohol.

Vasco came to wine from architecture and furniture design, by way of Rudolf Steiner's ideas, and farms his family's 17th-century property, Casal do Paço, in the Lima Valley in Portugal's far north. This is the part of Vinho Verde where Loureiro, not Alvarinho, is the great white grape, alongside the inky red Vinhão. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically, certified by Biodyvin (and by Demeter before that). The name comes from the Greek for "foam," a nod to the sea-born Aphrodite.

The range runs from crisp, low-alcohol Loureiro to red Vinhão and pét-nats. The Phaunus wines are made in a cellar with no electricity, where Loureiro and a palhete of Loureiro and Vinhão ferment and rest for seven months in beeswax-lined clay talhas from the Alentejo, without added sulfur. Whatever the bottling, look for bright acidity, wet-stone minerality and a lot of character for the money.

Wine Details

  • Grape Variety

    Loureiro

  • Vintage

    2023

  • Size

    750ml

  • Style

    Elegant , Juicy , Minerally

  • Sweetness

    Dry

  • Body

    Light Bodied

Flatiron's Take

From the Importer

What Skurnik Wines has to say about this wine:

100% Loureiro

Grapes de-stemmed and manually pressed

Fermented spontaneously on the skins in beeswax-lined (from the bees on their farm!) clay amphorae

The juice remains in contact with the skins for about six months

Bottled without filtration

Produced in a small, artisanal, gravity-fed facility without electricity

Tasting Notes & Food Pairings

Perfect Pairings

Grilled sardines and charred octopus, salt cod fritters, roast pork with cumin, chicken piri-piri, or aged sheep's-milk cheese with olives.

Tasting Profile

Deep golden. Quince, dried peach, orange peel and white flowers with a savory herbal edge. Light-bodied but textured, with gentle skin tannins, bright acidity and a dry, chalky, faintly salty finish.

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