Imagine stumbling into a wine that looks like amber sunshine and punches you in the senses with salty, mineral fervor—then makes you want to apologize for enjoying it so much.
That’s Rufia Curtimenta: a skinned-juice marvel from the granite-and-shale hills of Dão, grown amid chamomile and lavender gardens that act as vine bodyguards against fungus. It’s wild, vibrant—and it drinks like a poem.
The Human
João Tavares de Pina is no prince in a suit—he’s an eccentric vineyard alchemist, part gardener, part preservationist, and full-time nuisance to bureaucrats. Farming organically on his family land near Penalva de Castelo since the 1990s, João uprooted convention (and old vines) to replant over 50 nearly extinct Portuguese varietals. He even fought the Dão appellation—not because he hates rules, but because he hates wine that tastes like rules. He sprays chamomile and lavender between rows, coaxes spontaneous fermentation, and refuses to bend to industry norms—all while his vines bask in the mineral-heavy geology of the region.
João & the family suffered a huge blow form wildfires in 2024 and—hopefully—is coming back strong. Aided by, among others, you, the wine drinkers
The Process
Built from a blend of Cerceal Branco, Encruzado, Síria, Bical, and a kiss of Malvasia Fina, Rufia takes its sweet time—four weeks on skins in open tanks with native yeasts, followed by nine months on primary lees in thoughtful stainless steel. No fining, no filtering, and only a whisper of sulphur at bottling. The grapes come from soils that are part granite, part marine sediment from 500 million years ago, delivering freshness wrapped in history. This is terroir you can chew—and it whispers stories of antiquity with every sip.  
The Taste
This orange wine is not shy. It pours with saline energy, notes of apricot and mandarin dancing atop a backbone of damp earth and tea leaves. There’s flower petal sweetness, yes—but also a tangy celery-salt flash and herbaceous finish that morphs into tea, brine, and lingering citrus peel. Structurally robust yet strikingly digestible, it’s both grenade and lullaby.    
Handling
Be warned: sediment is plentiful enough to ruin unsuspecting teeth. Serve it not ice-cold but cool, around 10–12 °C, ideally with salted almonds, sashimi, shaved fennel, or grilled shellfish. It’s a wine that prefers open-air conversations—or silent snowfall.
The Takeaway
Rufia Curtimenta 2021 is a nose-tweaking, terroir-hugging embodiment of what orange wine can be. If you want a white that’s worth the sediment, the pause, and that tiny moment of confusion—this is your wine.
