Quintas de Melgaco Torre de Menagem Alvarinho/Trajadura 2018
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Wine & Spirits
This lightens up and tightens up with air, as if the initial spritz of CO2 and the creamy fruit character meld into crunchy white peach. It’s at turns firm and lush, with a racy acidity that will clean up after grilled mackerel.
Quintas de Melgaço is the second biggest producer of Alvarinho grape in the Vinho Verde Wine Region. Its winery is located in Ferreiros de Cima, Alvaredo, Melgaço; in the North of Portugal, under the Appelation DOC VINHO VERDE, "Melgaço Sub-Region", where the best regional varieties of grapes are planted, especially the "Alvarinho" lineage.
The company was started by Amadeu Abílio Lopes, who started this project to fulfil the interest of some hundreds of producers of Melgaço. There are 430 shareholders. After twelve years in business Quintas de Melgaço has achieved national and international recognition for the quality of its products, which range from the traditional red wine through to the Alvarinho and the Trajadura mix, until we reach the real star of this region – the famous Alvarinho with characteristics resulting from the climate, the soil and the knowledge that has been passed through from generation to generation.
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.