Cas' Amaro Falatorio Bastardo Tinto, Lisboa 2023

Lisbon as a wine region doesn't have the reputation of the Douro, Bastardo as a grape is hardly a household name, and a light, fresh red isn't what most people picture when they think Portuguese. All of which makes this a bit of an outlier, but nevertheless a pretty decent one. Organically farmed on clay-limestone soils and spontaneously fermented, it's delivers a lot more than you'd might think. Blackcurrant, cherry and floral notes, soft tannins and a fresh finish — easy-going and flavoursome is the name of the game here.

Slightly chilled on a sunny terrace is probably where this is happiest. It's also a natural match for grilled white meats and Mediterranean food — think herb-roasted chicken or a lamb kebab with a decent salad alongside.

One of Portugal's newer operations, Cas'Amaro was set up in 2016 when Lisbon businessman Paulo Amaro — keen to turn a long-held interest in wine into something more tangible — bought a run-down property at Aldeia Galega da Merceana in Alenquer. Rebuilt into a working winery, it became the Lisboa base from which he's steadily added estates across the country, now covering Vinho Verde, Dão, the Douro and Alentejo. Each site focuses on native varieties, and organic farming across all five has been certified since 2022. With small production numbers, while the regional spread is wide, it has quite a boutiquey feel, so you won't see these far and wide. Overall they haven't done bad in little more than a decade's work.