The colour is medium straw. On the nose peach, citrus, and tropical fruits. In the mouth fresh, but also rich and well balance. The aftertaste is pleasant and last for quite a while.
Alvarinho is the Portuguese name of a green-skinned grape variety native of the north-western corner of the Iberian Peninsula.
In Spain it is called Albariño and it constitutes the majority of the grapes planted in the Rías Baixas area of Galicia. All wines labelled Rías Baixas DO must be made with at least 70% Albariño grapes, with the rest made up of Treixadura, Torrontes, Loureiro and Caiño Blanco.
Albariño/Alvarinho is a variety high in acidity. It can be produced as a light white wine or in a fuller style, with oak or lees aging adding to the texture and richness.
In Portugal, Alvarinho Vinho Verde wines are sometimes bottled with a certain amount of carbon dioxide, resulting in wines that give a light, sparkling sensation in the mouth.
This exemplar is produced by Aveleda, a winery founded in 1879 and owned by the same family, the Guedes, for five generations. Nowadays it is the biggest producer and exporter of Vinho Verde in Portugal, exporting to more than 80 countries all over the world.
Vinho Verde is a well-known DOC in the Minho region of north-western Portugal. Each year it is responsible for vast quantities of straw-yellow, light-bodied, tangibly tart wines. They are most often based on classic Portuguese white-wine grapes as Arinto, Loureiro and Trajadura, but for the finest ones Alvarinho is usually the grape of choice.
For this bottle I paid 8.70 CHF at Denner, 25% off the original price of 11.65 CHF.
Country: Portugal
Region: Minho
Grapes: Alvarinho/Albariño
Type: White
Vintage: 2019
Producer: Aveleda
Price range: Economic (<15 US$)
Pascal’s Enjoyment Index: 4/5