Revisiting the brilliant low-intervention wines of Espera, from Portugal’s Lisboa region
Website: https://www.esperawines.pt/en-gb
Espera is a natural wine producer based in Alcobaça, in the Lisboa wine region of Portugal. Soils here are clay limestone. Rodrigo Martins and Ana Leal farm five hectares of vines in Alcobaça and another five in nearby Óbidos. The climate here is moderated by proximity to the ocean. The wines are made in a low-intervention style and they are lovely.
Here’s a report from last year.
Espera Bical Arinto 2024 Lisboa, Portugal
Lovely freshness and tension allied to depth of flavour with a fine acid line and bold pear and peach fruit. Lovely. 93/100
Espera Curtimenta 2024 Lisboa, Portugal
12 days maceration, Fernão Pires. Crystalline and fine with a grapey edge to the sweet pear and citrus fruit. Lively and rich at the same time. 93/100
Espera Palheto 2024 Lisboa, Portugal
2 vineyards field blends of more than 20 varieties. Lighter red. Cherry fruit with some vivid citrus fruit showing nice weight. Warmly textured. 93/100
Espera Alvarinho Na Anfora 2022 Lisboa, Portugal
Beautifully floral and expressive with sweet peach and some table grape. The palate is grippy and grainy with spicy framing to the sweet fruit. So lovely. 94/100
Espera NatCool 2024 Lisboa, Portugal
Castelão. Younger vineyards, stainless steel. Beautiful raspberry and cherry fruit with nice purity and tartness. Very stylish and focused. 93/100
Espera Castelão 2023 Lisboa, Portugal
Structured and with nice acid showing bright raspberry fruit. Lovely weight and fruit intensity. 94/100
Espera Método Ancestral 2025 Lisboa, Portugal
Lovely fruit purity here strawberry and cherry with nice weight. Lovely. 91/100
