Northern Portugal / NE Spain / Let’s just call it NE Iberia / Vinho Verde Wines & Alvarinho Grape – Great summer wines that match perfectly with hot days and seafood. This area has ocean front property, so it was made to matched with our friends from the sea.
Alvarinho – (Alvarinho is called Alberiño in Spanish, and also tasty). There is debate if the wine grape is native to the region, or a transplant from Alscace, France (and related to the wonderful Pinot Gris of that region). To me that sounds like a debate to be had when drinking too much of this tasty wine, when logic paves way to who is the loudest and funniest.
Alvarinho means “white-ish”, as per the grape. This actually makes sense and is interesting. In Latin the word for white is not something that sounds like “Blanco” as you would except, but rather “album”. So you can see the connection. “Blanco” comes from the Old German language. I can see I am on a tangent now, so I’ll stop.
Back to the wine. Slightly salty. Can be bitter. Can have a drop of fruit. Super easy wine to drink. Try it with some salty grilled shrimp, or monkfish. Affordable elegance.
Vinho Verde. Some people think it is just a European spitzer. They are dead wrong. Vinho verde is a fantastic summer wine, great with shellfish, as well as the first drink to open up the pallet. It is a style of wine, more than a grape. Vinho Verde has less alcohol and is slightly effervescent (fancy way to say fizzy). The name translates to “green wine”. Not because the wine is green, but rather that is it young. This is not a wine to save. It is a wine to put in your fridge, get it cold, then open. This wine is super easy on the wallet.
What makes this region special – undervalued and underappreciated. Makes summer heat bearable.