José De Sousa Pure White Talha 2015

At the José de Sousa winery, some ancestral winemaking techniques are still used, the most emblematic being the use of the talha in grape fermentation. The essence of talha winemaking has changed little in over two thousand years. In this process, white grapes are lightly crushed by foot and destemmed by hand on a sorting table. Fermentation occurs, without stems, in talhas with an average capacity of 1,600 liters at a temperature around 28ºC, controlled by watering the talhas 4 times a day. Fermentation takes approximately 8 days, with the wine remaining in contact with the skins until November. It ages in amphorae for a period of 4 to 10 months, depending on the harvest. During this period, a film of olive oil is applied to prevent oxidation.