Vinho Verde

Ah, yet another blistering summer in the South... While we have had a brief rainy respite over the past week, it's ramping back up and we've got a long way to go. It's the perfect situation for throwing some light Vinho Verde in the refrigerator and enjoying a cool glass with dinner.

Over the past couple of years I've gotten to try a lot of different wines of the Vinho Verde region, including still reds, whites, and rosés. But these are the slightly fizzy green wines that most people associate with the name.

Gateway Vinho Verde
Vinho Verde, Portugal
Blend of Trajadura, Loureiro, Arinto and Azal
$10, 9.5% abv.
After telling so many people that Vinho Verde is a good gateway wine for novices, it's fun to see one actually called that. Fittingly, this is a very standard representative sample of the style. Light pear aromas, a touch of sweetness, a good amount of fizz, and low alcohol.

2011 Arca Nova Loureiro
Vinho Verde, Portugal
100% Loureiro
$10, 11.5% abv.
I'd never had this grape on its own before, and was expecting a still wine. But it was fizzy, and yet very different from the first. Very low fruit with darker, floral aromas. Completely dry and fuller bodied with a long finish. More of a thinker, and one that I found myself exploring more as it warmed up in the glass.

Julia and I enjoyed both of these with lamb gyros and hummus, and the Mediterranean flavors worked out great even if we're talking about opposite ends of the sea.


Note: These wines were received as samples.