Vinho Verde

This wine region in the far north of Portugal borders on the Minho river.  The name of the wine may harken from the fact that the landscape here is lush and green, or from the fact that the grapes are very green and "green" wine used to be an expression for young, fresh white wines.  Either way, it is important to note that the region itself and the style of wine produced here often get mixed up.  The most common style of "vinho verde" are low-alcohol (9-11%), fresh white wines made from a blend of Loureiro, Treixadura and Alvarinho.  They are usually bottled with some remaining gas, creating a light, floral wine with spritz.  Increasingly so, this region also produces mono-varietal wines that are quite a bit more serious, and often bottled without gas.  Like the wines from just north across the Minho in Rias Baixas, the new style of alvarinho from Vino Verde can be amazingly linear, serious, and are not your screw-top porch sipper anymore.  We have a wide range of all styles, from a $8 party wine all the way to $28 seriously focused Alvarinhos that rival some of their spanish cousins.