Green Wine.

I thought we'd take a little detour off the beaten track of this so-far rather food orientated blog.  As much as I love my food, I also love my wine.  I always said to myself I could quite easily give up drinking beer and lager in lieu of continuing to drink hefty portions of the hallowed grape juice.  Since the spring is here, and today heralded our first barbecue (see, I threatened yesterday!) I wanted to talk about one of viticulture's unsung heroes - Vinho Verde.

Vinho verde refers to the type of wine, rather than a specific varietal grape.  I am told vinho verde can be rose and red as well as white - but I am yet to find them.  My only experience of this youthful, semi-sparkling delight is of the white variety.  


Strictly translated vinho verde means "green wine" but it actually translates as "young wine".  Typically it should always be drunk within one year of bottling.


Geographically, vinho verde comes from the northern, Minho region of Portugal - a region which has quite high (in comparison to the southern part of the country) precipitation.  It is for this reason that the vines are often trained up fences, poles and indeed anything to hand.  The reason for this is two-fold:  one being that it keeps the vines off the ground and reduces the incidence of mould growth.  The second reason is that it permits the cultivation of a second crop beneath - typically a vegetable, for the family to eat!

 In style, white vinho verde is very slightly sparkling, often characterized by citrus flavours (often lemon) and a cutting acidity.  Having said that, it is an easy drinking wine, typically around 9-10% ABV, that pairs itself excellently with fish, white meats and cheeses.


It's not that easy to find decent vinho verde in England.  Quite rightfully, the Portuguese like to keep the good stuff for themselves.  One I can recommend, though is from Waitrose and is called Sogrape Quinta de Azevedo 2010 (I'm  not a huge expert, but I don't think its from a collective, since it is touted as from a Quinta (or bodegas as they say in Spain).


We opened a bottle of vinho verde today, to accompany our barbecue.  I really recommend you try it, and disprove to yourself that Portuguese wine is plonk.