Aug 26, 2019
If you think Vinho Verde (pronounced veeng-yo
vaird) is just a fizzy summer sipper,
we're about to open up a new world for you in this show. You CAN
get the run of the mill stuff but with multiple grapes, regions,
and producer styles, if you dig deeper this wine has way more to it
than you think!
Overview
- Vinho Verde is not a grape variety, it is a
DOC (wine area)
- It literally translates to 'green wine' but means young
wine – wine released 3-6 months after the grapes are harvested
- This is one of Portugal’s largest regions:
- 21,000 ha/51,000 acres of vineyards are planted -- 9% of the
total in Portugal
- 19,000 growers – like Champagne, 600 bottlers
- 85 million liters of wine each year
- 86% of the wine from Vinho Verde is white
What wine is here?
- Red, white, rosé, or sparkling. Can be late harvest OR
brandy!
- If labeled with grape, subregion or quality level (Escolha,
Grande Escolha, Superior, Colheita Selectionada
- Top white
grapes: Alvarinho, Arinto, Avesso, Azal, Batoca, Loureiro,
and Trajadura
- Top red grapes: Amaral,
AzalbTinto, Borraçal, Brancelho, Espadeiro, Padeiro, Pedral, Rabo
de Ovelha and Vinhão
Winemaking:
- The wine was fizzy because malolactic fermentation took place
in the bottle as it sat on the shelf! Today, carbonation is
added to finished wine to add sparkle
Wine style:
- Light and fresh whites: high natural acidity, with fruity and
floral aromas that depend on the grape variety
- Have slight sparkle with low alcohol
History
- Vinho Verde produced wine for over 2,000 years, one of the
oldest regions in Portugal
- Celts and Romas came, then Visigoths and Moors
- During middle Ages: Vinho Verde may have been exported in the
12th century, to England, Germany, and Flanders – especially from
top regions of Monção and Melgaço and Ribeira de Lima
- Maize arrived in the 16th century alog with regulations to
maximise production of itNew regulations banished vines to the
field margins, where they grew up high, forcing the vignerons to
pick them from tall ladders
- Today most of Vinho Verde Region is now using modern methods,
which give larger and better yield.
- EU in 1986 improved technology – more capital, opened up the
markets
Location/Land:
- Vinho Verde is Portugal’s northernmost wine producing region,
above 40° latitude
- Series of granite-based plateaus within the valleys of the
Minho, Ave, Cávado, and Lima rivers
- Most of the Vinho Verde region is at or near sea level --
highest elevation at 2,300 feet
Climate:
- Temps go between 46°F (8°C) in winter and 68°F (20°C) in the
summer – green landscape, temperate climate
- Cooler coastal regions like Lima, Cávado and Ave -- more marine
influence with cooler average temperatures and higher rainfall
- inland subregions - Baião and Basto are both warmer
- Annual rainfall is high – 47+ inches (1200 mm) in the winter
and spring months
Subregions: 9, can be on the label with the name Vinho
Verde

Monção e Melgaço: Best region, but least
typical Vinho Verde
- Inland DOP subregion, along the hillsides of
the Minho River’s south bank
- White: Alvarinho is best. Fresh
but fuller than Rias Baixas, occasionally with some oak
- Reds: Pedral, Alvarelhão
Lima:
- Highest levels of rainfall.
- Granitic soils and a small area with shale-based soil.
- White: Loureiro grape: citrus fruits,
rose notes, can be full like Alvarinho
- Use whites Arinto and Trajadura
- Red: Vinhão and Borraçal – crunchy, crisp
fruity aroma
3 Similar regions: Cávado, Ave, Sousa --
Mild
- Sea winds, irregular topography, low altitude, mild
climate,
- Whites: Arinto, Loureiro and Trajadura
with moderate acidity, citrus fruits and ripe apple and pears.
- Reds: Vinhão and Borraçal grapes (not in Ave
but in Cávado and Sousa)
- Sousa: Espadeiro is often used to
make rosé wines.
Basto: inland – HOT with high rainfall
- High altitude, cold, wet winter, balls hot summer
- White: Azal is lemony with green apple
notes
- Reds: Espadeiro, Rabo-de-Anho
Amarante: Inland
- White: Azal, Avesso -- higher alcohol, more
body because of heat
- Red: Amarante sub-region is famous for
its red wines: especially Vinhão variety
Paiva:
- Red: Vinhão gets great maturity and
produce some of the most sought-after red wines
Baião: Inland/continental
- On the border of Douro demarcated region, longer
season
- Whites: Azal and Avesso (best ones from
Avesso, creamy, fruity, with acidity)
- Red: Amaral
Food Pairing:
- Salads, Asian cuisine, bacalao (cod) and
other seafood, in cream sauce or breaded; pork and potato
dishes
Don't forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today
too!!

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