Asnella Vinho Verde 2019
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Brilliant green-yellow. On the nose, lime zest, green apple, wet stone, and white pepper notes that are almost reminiscent of a Federspiel level Gruner. The palate is clean, concentrated, and incisive, with dry citrus and unripe pear followed by flavors of tarragon, slate and white pepper.
The flinty minerality and bright fruit on the Asnella make it an ideal pair for oysters, as well as shrimp, clams, mussels and other seafood. The clean flavors of east Asian cuisine are a particularly good pairing.
Blend: 60% Arinto, 40% Loureiro
Asnella is a single vineyard Vinho Verde that exposes an unexplored side of the Vinho Verde DOC. In addition to the delicious, lightly effervescent aperitif-style wines that are most frequently exported from this part of Northern Portugual, there is a whole category of terroir-driven, artisan wines that has heretofore gone unnoticed. The vineyard where Asnella is grown is on the border between the Southern side of the Vinho Verde DOC and the Northern edge of the Douro. This vineyard a fault line that separates two very different soil types – the schist of the Northern Douro and the granite of the Douro, as noted on either side of the label. The blend of these two parcels in the vineyard imbues the wine with a profound minerality and weight uncommon for Vinho Verde.
With hundreds of white grape varieties to choose from, winemakers have the freedom to create a virtually endless assortment of blended white wines. In many European regions, strict laws are in place determining the set of varieties that may be used in white wine blends, but in the New World, experimentation is permitted and encouraged. Blending can be utilized to enhance balance or create complexity, lending different layers of flavors and aromas. For example, a variety that creates a soft and full-bodied white wine blend, like Chardonnay, would do well combined with one that is more fragrant and naturally high in acidity. Sometimes small amounts of a particular variety are added to boost color or aromatics. Blending can take place before or after fermentation, with the latter, more popular option giving more control to the winemaker over the final qualities of the wine.
A cheerful, translucid, lemon-yellow and slightly pétillant white wine, Vinho Verde literally means ‘green wine’ and is named after the northwest Portugese region from which it originates. The ‘green’ in the name refers to the youthful state in which the wines are customarily released and consumed, not the color of the wine.
It is typically a blend of various percentages of Alvarinho, Loureiro, Trajadura, and Pedernã (Arinto). Following initial alcoholic fermentation, a natural, secondary malolactic conversion in cask produces carbon dioxide, giving Vinho Verde its charmingly light sparkle.