Green wines – Vinho Verde – Hail the Arrival of Spring!

Ah spring, the time of fiddleheads, daffodils & fresh starts… One of the most overlooked & delightful spring wines is Portugal’s Vinho Verde.

I know you’re thinking – last month Port, this month Vinho Verde – is there a theme? Well, yes – as a matter of fact there is. The two wines – although produced in the same country, are a pure juxtaposition of styles, tastes and price points (when you compare every day table wine Vinho Verde with say – a Vintage Port).

So just what is Vinho Verde? Quite simply – Green Wine.

This so called green wine is a slightly pétillant wine made in the Minho region, located in the very north of the cournty. The name isn’t a reference to its color so much as its immaturity so to speak. Only approximately 10% of the production is exported, as most of it is consumed domestically.

Vinho Verde comes in both white and yes, red. Though you won’t see many offerings of the red on the market locally…The white is made with the Albarino grape usually sourced in the region Monção. The reds are inky and tannic, mostly made from Azal Tinto, Borraçal, and Espadeiro. These grape varieties are just a few of the almost 40 different types of grapes are allowed in production by the DOC.

The wines are charming, light, very fresh and made with the intention to be drunk within 12 months. They are also great to pour at Easter as their fresh, brisk characteristic goes great with many of the foods commonly served that time of year. The Portuguese eat a lot of seafood and I would say, it goes great with shellfish splendidly. Even a crab cake. It also goes well with simply grilled meats, especially chicken & pork, the white particularly. The red, depends on your taste buds… it is literally Portugal’s answer to France’s Beaujolais nouveau so don’t be seeking flavorful complexity… seek to be charmed.

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