Rodrigo Felipe runs Encosta da Quinta, a winery started by Rodrigo’s father who planted the first parcels of vines in the 90s as more of a hobby than a project. It wasn’t until the early 2000s that Rodrigo took on the role of winemaker (winegrower actually). Rodrigo learned by reading his father’s old wine books, attending various courses and workshops, and by pure intuition. Rodrigo’s view on organic is pretty straightforward: “It’s my land and I want to keep it clean.” Planted in clay and limestone soils and benefitting from the cool Atlantic breeze and high humidity of the area, the grapes ripen slowly and maintain a high level of natural acidity.
 
Humus wines are really fermented grape juice in its purest form. They are ‘natural’ in that they contain no additives, no preservatives, no corrections or adjustments, and occasionally not even sulphur at the time of bottling. 
 
Curtimenta is a skin contact wine made of Touriga Nacional (free run jus) fermented on the skins of Arinto and Fernão Pires for 3 months. Fermentation is spontaneous with native yeasts in amphoras. The wine then ages for 9 months in 225L chestnut foudres.