Vinho Verde: the young wine and seafood tradition

Minho, Portugal

Vinho Verde ('green wine') from northwest Portugal's Minho region — the most Atlantic of all Portuguese wine regions, where annual rainfall is 1,500-2,000mm and granite soils produce wines of high natural acidity and low alcohol (8-11% traditionally, though modern versions often push to 12%). The term 'verde' refers to the wine's youth, not its colour — there are white, red, and rosé versions, though white dominates export. The traditional styles — low alcohol, high acid, with a slight spritz from CO2 retained during bottling — were evolved specifically around the seafood of the Atlantic coast. The acidity cuts through the richness of sardines, clams, and bacalhau; the low alcohol complements the delicacy of fresh shellfish. The great single-variety Vinhos Verdes — Alvarinho from Monção e Melgaço, Loureiro from the Lima valley — are serious, age-worthy wines.

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