Vinho Verde ('green wine') covers Portugal's far northwest — the Minho region along the Spanish border, receiving Atlantic rainfall averaging 1,600mm annually. 'Verde' refers to youth and freshness, not colour. The region encompasses 9 sub-zones; the Monção e Melgaço sub-zone, planted exclusively with Alvarinho (Albariño in Galicia), produces Portugal's most elegant and ageable white wines. Standard Vinho Verde is a multi-variety blend — young, low-alcohol (9–11%), high-acid, with a light natural spritz from early bottling and secondary fermentation. Single-variety Alvarinho (Soalheiro, Anselmo Mendes) is a serious fine wine — stone fruit, citrus blossom, saline minerality, ageing 5–10 years.
| Year | Rating | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 92 | Warm, dry vintage — atypical for Vinho Verde but produced Alvarinho of excellent concentration. Stone fruit more prominent than saline character. |
| 2020 | 93 | Excellent Vinho Verde vintage — sufficient Atlantic rainfall maintained freshness while warmer temperatures than usual enabled fuller phenolic development. Soalheiro Alvarinho of exceptional stone fruit and mineral precision. |
| 2019 | 91 | Very good Monção e Melgaço vintage — warm enough to ripen Alvarinho fully without losing the sub-zone's characteristic saline minerality. |