Pedra a Pedra Branco

If the QPA Reserva is Quinta da Pedra Alta's Sunday-best white, Pedra a Pedra is the one for every other day of the week — and at £13.99 it's a genuinely smart buy. This is the Douro doing fresh, bright, unoaked white, and doing it very well indeed.

It's a straightforward blend of two native grapes, Rabigato and Gouveio, split almost down the middle. Both thrive in the schist soils and warm days of the Douro, but it's the cool nights up at altitude that keep the wine so lively. No oak here — just stainless steel, so the fruit and the freshness come through unfiltered by anything.

Expect a sharp, appetising nose of grapefruit and lemon, crushed stone and a little green apple, with a lift of apricot. The palate is where it earns its keep: crisp but never harsh, all high-wire citrus — lemon, grapefruit — with riper melon and pineapple underneath, a grainy lees texture, and a salty mineral streak that runs to a bone-dry, almost chewy finish. It's fresh, it's characterful, and it drinks like something dearer than it is.

How to Serve

Serve properly chilled at 8–10°C in a standard white wine glass. Drink it young and fresh — straight from the fridge, no fuss.

Where to Drink It

Bar Douro near London Bridge, for Portuguese small plates and a bottle right at home. The Laughing Heart in Hackney, for a relaxed glass. Brat in Shoreditch, for grilled fish off the fire.

Food Pairings

Made for seafood — grilled sardines, salt cod, a plate of prawns. It's also a fine, sharp aperitif to open an evening.