Vinho Verde: Portugal's Top White Wine Region

The Vinho Verde wine region in northern Portugal is home to some of the best white wines this side of Albariño.  Vinho Verde means, "green wine," which is not a color reference but a suggestion that the wine is quite youthful.  The white wines of Vinho Verde typically have a wonderful acidity and a slightly fizzy nature.  The lower alcohol content makes them great choices for summer sipping by the pool, but they work quite well as aperitifs at holiday parties and pair graciously with cheese plates or pasta.

Provam Varanda do Conde 2018

PROVAM is made up of ten winemakers from the Monção and Melgaço sub-region, in the northern part of the Vinho Verde region.  The mix of 70% Trajadura and 30% Alvarinho grapes is a traditional blend for the region, capturing Alvarinho's complexity and Trajadura's softness.  The wine's alcohol level hits 12.5% abv and it sells for well below the $10 mark in the U.S.

This refreshing white has a nose which explodes with the smell of lemons and white flowers.  The palate is just as much a party, with lemons aplenty and acidity to burn.  Bring on the fish, bring on the shrimp.  The wine will pair wonderfully.


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Summer Wine: Portugal's Vinho Verde

Vinho Verde is the region, not a grape or a style of wine. It's in the northwest corner of Portugal. It's as if you're saying, "I think I'll have a Burgundy," except you’re having a white wine made from grapes you’ve probably never heard before. The grape varieties used in making white Vinho Verde are usually Loureiro, Arinto, Trajadura, Avesso, and Azal. They also make red and rose, and all are youthful wines intended to be consumed soon after bottling. In fact, Vinho Verde means, "green wine." That is not a color reference, but a suggestion that the wine is quite youthful.

The Casal Garcia winery was founded in 1939 by Roberto Guedes, the father and grandfather of those who run the business now. The roots of the region go back much, much further than that, of course. Romans like Seneca the Younger and Pliny both made references to vines between the Douro and Minho rivers, I am told. The first record of wine in the region comes from a year with only three digits in it, if that gives you some idea how far back we're talkin'.

The Casal Garcia Sweet Vinho Verde DOC Vino Branco is made from Trajadura, Loureiro, Arinto and Azal, all the above mentioned grapes, without the Avesso.

I don't know why I think of sweet wine as old fogey wine, but I do. And by sweet, I mean off-dry, which is what this wine really is. It just seems like it would be right at home at a bingo game. This Portuguese white wine hits 9.5% abv, as is typical in Vinho Verde, but sweet is not typical. However, it still has plenty of zip in the freshness department. The sweetness, by the way, comes as fruit, not sugar, much like an off-dry Riesling. There are tangerines on the nose and pears on the palate, but don't sniff or swish for much too complexity. Chill it and have it on the porch, while yelling at those kids to get off the lawn.


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