Quinta Varzea da Pedra is Tomás Emídio’s fourth-generation winery outside the medieval town of Óbidos, an hour by car north of Lisbon. Óbidos gives its name to the local DOC (wine region), which is very much influenced by its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Farming is practicing organic and fermentations are spontaneous (without added yeast). Arinto is one of Portugal’s best white grapes, making wines of excellent structure, complexity, and deliciousness. Quinta Varzea da Pedra’s version ferments for two weeks and ages on the lees in stainless steel tanks for 11 months. It’s lemony, salty, flinty, and bursting with mouth-watering acidity. The wine makes a palate-awaking aperitivo, after which you could move to bacalhau fritters (or anything else with salt cod), oysters, or marinated vegetables.
