Vineyard in the Vinho Verde Region

Vinho Verde = green wine?

The name “Vinho Verde” is Portuguese and means “green wine”. Eventhough the name suggest that the wine is green – it is not! The name is derived from the fact that the landscape of this northern region of Portugal is really lush and green. The wine is not actually green in color, it comes in white, red and rosé.

Geography and terroir

Vinho Verde is a wine region located in the north-west of Portugal, around the City of Porto. It goes on till the Minho river in the north, which is also the boarder to Galicia, Spain. it is Portugal’s largest wine denomination and spans approximately 24,000 hectares. This vast area is divided into thousands of small plots, some no larger than modest backyards. The region is characterized by its cool, damp climate – it is the region where we have the most rain in Portugal. The vineyards are primarily concentrated in the valleys of major rivers. The soil across the region is predominantly granite, offering uniformity in composition. These soils are notably fertile, with high levels of acidity.

The denomination is organized into nine distinct sub-regions: Monção e Melgaço, Lima, Basto, Cávado, Ave, Amarante, Baião, Sousa, and Paiva. Among these, Monção e Melgaço stands out as the only sub-region shielded from the direct influence of the Atlantic Ocean – the result are are wines with a bit more character and body.

Vinho Verde Wines

The wines from Vinho Verde are known to be fresh and light. Due to the climate and the soil we mostly find white grapes growing in this region. The most important grape varieties grown in the Vinho Verde region are Alvarinho, Loureiro, Arinto, Trajadura and Azal. Alvarinho is a white grape variety that produces wines with high acidity, high alcohol content and a fruity aroma. Loureiro is another white grape variety that is known for its floral aroma and refreshing acidity, and as the name suggest the aroma of laurel. Trajadura and Azal are two grape varieties that are often blended with the other.

The climate, the soil and the grape varieties result in wines with a high acidity. A lot of producers compensate the high acidity by keeping some sugar in the wine, resulting in lighter wines (as not all the sugar is fermented to alcohol, the alcohol content is lower) and therefore are more pleasant to drink. One of the things that makes Vinho Verde special is its unique production method. The wines are traditionally bottled with a slight effervescence, which gives them a refreshing and lively character.

higher quality wines

Not all producers produce the typical Vinho Verde style. Nowadays, you find also complex wines of high quality. The grapes and the climate are particularly suited to producing wines that can also be aged. Sparkling wines are also becoming more popular and are finding favour – the region has a few gems to offer. We can find reserva wines, aged in oak barrels, which adds some complexity and body to the wines. But even with the typical steel tank aging you can find great high quality wines, with a really good price. Mostly the higher quality wineproducers make their wines dry, and non-carbonated.

reds and rosés

As I said, the climate is ideal for white wines, but there are also very few red and rosé wines. The climate makes it challenging to ripen red grapes. The most planted red grape variety is Vinhão, also known as Sousão. It’s the colour that makes Vinhão unique and different; producing black, dark and opaque wines that are almost impenetrable to light. It was these peculiar characteristics that made it so desirable in the Douro, thanks to the need to quickly extract colour for Port wine. It is the most cultivated red grape variety in the Vinho Verde region, offering rustic wines with very high acidity. The second grape is Padeiro which was almost distinct and is rare to find. It is so light in color that it almost looks like rosé, offering vibrant red fruit notes and plenty of acidity.

History of Vinho Verde

I was told that wine production used to be very limited, as the land had to be used for growing food such as potatoes etc. However, people didn’t want to do without wine and started to grow it using the pergola system. Unfortunately, the result was modest. The grapes could hardly ripen because the horizontal cultivation meant that the vines received less sun and therefore ripened less well. The result was a sour wine. To compensate for the extremely high acidity, the wine was bottled early to preserve some sugar from the grape juice. However, as the temperature rose in spring, the wine began to ferment again – but this time in the bottle. This led to carbonated wine, or sometimes even to the bottles exploding and bursting. Because of this history, some wines are now carbonated – and the idea that all Vinho Verdes must be drunk very young also comes from this period.

Vinho Verde is a must

If you are ever in Portugal, drinking a Vinho Verde is of course a must. But please don’t stick to the commercial producers – even if these wines are a good choice for a warm summer evening. Go in search of the good quality that this region has to offer. I promise you, you will be amazed at their great whites!

PS: If you are in Porto, I can only recommend exploring the Vinho Verde region. The drive through the beautiful countryside is enchanting and towns like Guimarães or Amarante are definitely worth a visit.