Podcasts Arts Wine for Normal People Ep 291: Vinho Verde (has so much more to it than you know!)

Ep 291: Vinho Verde (has so much more to it than you know!)

Published: Aug. 26, 2019, 7:34 p.m.

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If you think Vinho Verde (pronounced veeng-yo vaird)\\xa0is just a fizzy summer sipper, we\'re about to open up a new world for you in this show. You CAN get the run of the mill stuff but with multiple grapes, regions, and producer styles, if you dig deeper this wine has way more to it than you think!

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Overview

  • Vinho Verde is not a grape variety, it is a DOC (wine area)
  • It literally translates to \\xa0\'green wine\' but means young wine \\u2013 wine released 3-6 months after the grapes are harvested
  • This is one of Portugal\\u2019s largest regions:
    • 21,000 ha/51,000 acres of vineyards are planted -- 9% of the total in Portugal
    • 19,000 growers \\u2013 like Champagne, 600 bottlers
    • 85 million liters of wine each year
  • 86% of the wine from Vinho Verde is white

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What wine is here?\\xa0

  • Red, white, ros\\xe9, or sparkling. Can be late harvest OR brandy!
  • If labeled with grape, subregion or quality level (Escolha, Grande Escolha, Superior, Colheita Selectionada
  • Top white grapes:\\xa0Alvarinho,\\xa0Arinto,\\xa0Avesso,\\xa0Azal,\\xa0Batoca,\\xa0Loureiro, and\\xa0Trajadura
  • Top red grapes:\\xa0Amaral, AzalbTinto,\\xa0Borra\\xe7al,\\xa0Brancelho,\\xa0Espadeiro,\\xa0Padeiro,\\xa0Pedral,\\xa0Rabo de Ovelha\\xa0and\\xa0Vinh\\xe3o

Winemaking:

  • The wine was fizzy because malolactic fermentation took place in the bottle as it sat on the shelf!\\xa0Today, carbonation is added to finished wine to add sparkle

Wine style:

  • Light and fresh whites: high natural acidity, with fruity and floral aromas that depend on the grape variety
  • Have slight sparkle with low alcohol

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History

  • Vinho Verde produced wine for over 2,000 years, one of the oldest regions in Portugal
  • Celts and Romas came, then Visigoths and Moors
  • During middle Ages: Vinho Verde may have been exported in the 12th century, to England, Germany, and Flanders \\u2013 especially from top regions of Mon\\xe7\\xe3o and Melga\\xe7o and Ribeira de Lima
  • Maize arrived in the 16th century alog with regulations to maximise production of itNew regulations banished vines to the field margins, where they grew up high, forcing the vignerons to pick them from tall ladders
    • Today most of Vinho Verde Region is now using modern methods, which give larger and better yield.
  • EU in 1986 improved technology \\u2013 more capital, opened up the markets\\xa0

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Location/Land:

  • Vinho Verde is Portugal\\u2019s northernmost wine producing region, above 40\\xb0 latitude\\xa0
  • Series of granite-based plateaus within the valleys of the Minho, Ave, C\\xe1vado, and Lima rivers\\xa0
  • Most of the Vinho Verde region is at or near sea level -- highest elevation at 2,300 feet

Climate:

  • Temps go between 46\\xb0F (8\\xb0C) in winter and 68\\xb0F (20\\xb0C) in the summer \\u2013 green landscape, temperate climate
    • Cooler coastal regions like Lima, C\\xe1vado and Ave -- more marine influence with cooler average temperatures and higher rainfall
    • inland subregions - Bai\\xe3o and Basto are both warmer
  • Annual rainfall is high \\u2013 47+ inches (1200 mm) in the winter and spring months

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Subregions: 9, can be on the label with the name Vinho Verde


Mon\\xe7\\xe3o e Melga\\xe7o: Best region, but least typical Vinho Verde

  • Inland DOP subregion, along the hillsides of the Minho River\\u2019s south bank
  • White:\\xa0Alvarinho is best. Fresh but\\xa0fuller than Rias Baixas, occasionally with some oak
  • Reds:\\xa0Pedral, Alvarelh\\xe3o\\xa0

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Lima:\\xa0

  • Highest levels of rainfall.
  • Granitic soils and a small area with shale-based soil.
  • White:\\xa0Loureiro grape: citrus fruits, rose notes, can be full like Alvarinho\\xa0
    • Use whites Arinto and Trajadura
  • Red:\\xa0Vinh\\xe3o and Borra\\xe7al \\u2013 crunchy, crisp fruity aroma

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3 Similar regions: C\\xe1vado, Ave, Sousa -- Mild

  • Sea winds, irregular topography, low altitude, mild climate,
  • Whites:\\xa0Arinto, Loureiro and Trajadura with moderate acidity, citrus fruits and ripe apple and pears.
  • Reds: Vinh\\xe3o and Borra\\xe7al grapes (not in Ave but in C\\xe1vado and Sousa)
    • Sousa: Espadeiro is often used to make ros\\xe9 wines.

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Basto: inland \\u2013 HOT with high rainfall

  • High altitude, cold, wet winter, balls hot summer
  • White: \\xa0Azal is lemony with green apple notes
  • Reds:\\xa0Espadeiro, Rabo-de-Anho\\xa0

Amarante: Inland

  • White: Azal, Avesso -- higher alcohol, more body because of heat
  • Red:\\xa0Amarante sub-region is famous for its red wines: especially Vinh\\xe3o variety

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Paiva:\\xa0

  • Red:\\xa0Vinh\\xe3o gets great maturity and produce some of the most sought-after red wines

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Bai\\xe3o: Inland/continental

  • On the border of Douro demarcated region, longer season\\xa0
  • Whites:\\xa0Azal and Avesso (best ones from Avesso, creamy, fruity, with acidity)
  • Red:\\xa0\\xa0Amaral\\xa0

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Food Pairing:

  • Salads, Asian cuisine,\\xa0bacalao\\xa0(cod) and other\\xa0seafood, in cream sauce or breaded; pork and potato dishes

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Don\'t forget to order your Wine For Normal People book today too!!

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