A Spritz of Vinho Verde

Nothing like a nice light refreshing Vinho Verde on a hot summers day.  Vinho Verde, a Portuguese wine that means green wine.  The term green is meant young. The time to enjoy is in their youth.  Now that's the wine how about the grapes that make the wine?

First let me take you to the Northwest of Portugal where the wine region is  located just south of the city of Porto. With the Minho River in the North and the mountainous areas in the East and South they form a nice border between the Atlantic and Mediterranean regions. The climate receives much maritime influences.

Now the grapes!  Vinho Verde can actually be red, white or rose.  For the purpose of the wine I tasted, we'll talk about the grapes that go into the white wine.  These grapes are indigenous to Portugal...Ya ready..the grapes that make up the blend are Loureiro, Arinto, Trajadura, Avesso and Azal. Just like any blend, each grape brings their character to the wine. Did I mention the wine is slightly spritzy.  Yes, it tends to have about 1% carbonation.  Just enough to feel it on your palate and make the wine refreshing.

The Vinho Verde that passed my palate was a 2011 Gazela Vinho Verde from Gaia, Portugal.  The alcohol
content was fairly low at 9%.  It had nice color and was a tad spritzy.  It was light and fresh.  Apricot on the nose and hints of tangerine and lime on the palate.  The finish was pretty abrupt.  Just ended quickly.

This was a great buy at..are you ready...$5.49