Winemaker Notes
The wine is a medium lemon color with intense aromas of white grapefruit zest combined with flint and floral notes of Paper Whites. This 100% varietal Alvarhino is elegant and engaging, with a touch of white peach skin on the palate and a long mineral finish. The partial barrel fermentation rounds out angular edges, but the racy acidity brings you back for another sip.
This mineral-driven Alvarinho makes an excellent partner for ceviche, Vietnamese-style summer rolls, Gazpacho, Greek feta, cucumber & olive salads and goat cheese & onion tart.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Brine, green apples, fennel and wet stones on the nose. The palate is medium- to full-bodied, with a pleasant saline thread and a delineated profile that makes it very attractive.
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Wine Enthusiast
A ripe, creamy and spicy wine with green fruits that are freshened by citrus acidity. The wine has a pink grapefruit aroma and a vibrant, youthful texture. From the Monção and Melgaço region, flanked by mountains in farthest northern Portugal, the wine will be ready from 2026.
Best Buy
Bright and aromatic with distinctive floral and fruity characteristics, Albariño has enjoyed a surge in popularity and an increase in plantings over the last couple of decades. Thick skins allow it to withstand the humid conditions of its homeland, Rías Baixas, Spain, free of malady, and produce a weighty but fresh white. Somm Secret—Albariño claims dual citizenship in Spain and Portugal. Under the name Alvarinho, it thrives in Portugal’s northwestern Vinho Verde region, which predictably, borders part of Spain’s Rías Baixas.
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.