The upper Northern part of Portugal, between the city Porto and the river of Minho lies the region of the ‘green’ wine or the Vinho Verde. This not only refers to the greenish surroundings, but mainly to the idea that the wines from the region need to be enjoyed while they are still young, fresh, and green. A very traditional style of winemaking has been maintained here for centuries, apart from that the many innovations going on in different subregions and new styles being developed, pique the interest of the international wine world.
The regions name alternates between Minho and Vinho Verde. Minho referring to the like named river that forms a natural border between Portugal and Spain. Vinho Verde refers to the type of wine made in the area. The most well-known wines from this region are the whites and they are produced in such a way that they are meant to be enjoyed young. The wines have a high level of acidity and undergo a malolactic fermentation within the bottle. The malolactic fermentation is a process that the wine can undergo, when good bacteria turn the rather tart apple acidity into milk acidity. This lowers the level of acidity and releases a small amount of carbon dioxide. This leads to a light sparkle in the wine, which is very characteristic for whites of Vinho Verde.
The climate is very mild and wet. It is one of the most wet regions of Portugal. The grapes are traditionally grown on trees (enforcada) or on high pergolas (latada). This is meant to help dry the grapes after a rain fall. In order to allow more sun exposure, the grapes are now grown on a French cordon system. This allows machine harvest as well.
A wide range of grape varieties is planted here and used for the DOP of Vinho Verde. We see a lot of overlap between grapes used in Spanish Galicia and across the border and river of the Minho in the like named region. The two white varieties of Alvarinho (Albariño) and Trajadura (Treixadura) are the most well-known examples.
Despite having some sub-regions, there is only one appellation in the region and that is the DOP Vinho Verde, valid for white, red, and rosé. This will always be a blend of a range of different grapes. For the whites the most important grapes are Trajadura, Alvarinho, Loureiro, Azal and Arinto. Sometimes the grapes Avesso and Batoca will be added to the blend. The Azal Braco or white Azal is a common grape from the area with notes of crisp citrus and minerality notes. The other local varieties each bring their own character to the blend, while Arinto will provide a lively acidity, Avesso will bring a creamy texture and Batoca will add smoothness to the texture. Minerality is an underlying key factor for all the varieties. The granite and clay soil from the region will be reflected perfectly.
All the sub-regions will operate under the same AOP, so there are not always many differences in styles. However, in the most northern part like in the sub-regions of Monção and Melgaço, the focus will be mainly put on the Alvarinho grape. These wines will be very different than your typical Vinho Verde. Wines coming solely from Alvarinho can have aging on oak and will provide much fuller wines with the potential to age. In the sub-region of Lima, wine makers will focus on the single use of Loureiro grape. This will lead to wines that are very floral and have more complexity that the lighter typical version of Vinho Verde.
The red blends are usually only consumed locally as the high acidity makes them rather touch and tart in flavour. The most important red grapes are the Amaral, Borraçal and Vinhão. Providing bold aromas, heavy colour, and a lively acidity. The blend can be sufficed with Alvarelhão, Espadeiro, Padeiro, Pedral, and Rabo de Anho. All local varieties known for their lively colour, acidity, minerality and notes of fresh forest fruit. These red wines go very well with traditional roasted pork dishes from the area. An increase in rosé is found made from the same grapes as well.
The white typical Vinho Verde will match beautiful with lean, white fish and due to the lively acidity and slight sparkle, it matches with green herbs such as coriander.
The fuller bodied single blend Alvarinho will need more rich seafood such as the Bacelhau à brás or even salmon or tuna. Depending on the length of aging and the usage of oak, it will even go with lighter meat as pork, poultry, or veal.
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