Quinta da Raza Dom Diogo Arinto 2019
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Wine &
Spirits
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Somm Note
Winemaker Notes
Crisp and refreshing with intense flavors of citrus, mineral and a touch of melon, with apple and floral notes. This also has the trademark little spritz on the palate that is so characteristic of Vinho Verdes, but in flavor and complexity it is definitely a step or two above most of the inexpensive wines coming out of the region.
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Wine & Spirits
Arinto was once notable for creating long-lived white wines in Bucelas. Here, at an estate in the inland hills of Vinho Verde, it grew a deliciously ripe 2019 “with fruit off the charts,” as one taster said, pointing to the cantaloupe, citrus and star-fruit flavors he found in the wine. For me, it was more like drippingly juicy pear cleaned up by the malic acidity of green apples. Then it ends on the savour of raw almonds. It’s compellingly drinkable, a stony white that’s waiting for a place next to Dungeness crab, as it shares that same pale buttery savour. Best Buy
Other Vintages
2014-
Wine &
Spirits
A white Portugese variety documented mainly along coastal vineyards surrounding Bucelas and Lisbon, Arinto shows marked citrus qualities with more stone fruit as it ages. Somm Secret—When a blending ingredient in Vinho Verde, it is called Pedernã.
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.