7 Refreshing Vinho Verdes for $25 or Less
Working as blends or as stand-alone varietals, a bottle of Vinho Verde may be made from grapes such as Azal Branco, Arinto, Alvarinho, Avesso, Loureiro and Trajadura. Typically grown on Pergola (picture grapes hanging from trellises), this traditional viticultural technique protects their vines from the region’s excessive dampness.
Vinho Verde can be an easy stand-alone glass or serve as the accompaniment to lighter fare. Due to the region’s proximity to the ocean and the wines’ crisp acidity, seafood dishes make for ideal pairings.
Check out some of our favorite bottles below.
Adega de Monção 2020 Deu la Deu Alvarinho (Vinho Verde); 90 Points.
A fine wine, ripe and with creamed-apple flavors over tight acidity. This is worth aging a few months. The wine’s rich fruits have an edge of pepper as well as spice. Drink the wine from later this year. —Roger Voss
$14
Wine-Searcher
Aveleda 2020 Solos de Granito Alvarinho (Minho); 93 Points.
Much of the Minho/Vinho Verde region sits on granite bedrock. That gives a strongly mineral edge to this wine, offering a tight texture and apple and kiwi flavors, with a squeeze of lemon at the end. The wine is young and needs to age further. Drink from 2023. Suitable for vegans. —R.V.
$23
Wired for Wine
Casa Santa Eulália 2021 Alvarinho-Trajadura White (Vinho Verde); 88 Points.
There is a slight prickle on this attractive, fruity blend of two of Vinho Verde’s principal grapes. It is light, full of white fruits and citrus. Drink now. Best Buy. —R.V.
$6
Wine-Searcher
J. Portugal Ramos 2021 Alvarinho (Vinho Verde); 90 Points.
The wine comes from the Monçao and Melgaço region of VInho Verde, the home of Alvarinho. It is a textured wine, poised between freshness and ripe white fruits. The wine will soften over the next few months, broadening out very satisfactorily. Drink from 2023. —R.V.
$14
Vivino
Santos & Seixo NV Rotas de Portugal White (Vinho Verde); $10, 86 Points.
Bright white fruits and lemon juice with a light prickle on the tongue, this off-dry wine is poised and ready to drink. Best Buy. —R.V.
$8
Wine-Searcher
Valados de Melgaço 2020 Reserva Alvarinho (Vinho Verde); 90 Points.
A ripe and apple-flavored wine, this is crisp and worth aging. Coming from the northern Monção and Melgaço region, the Alvarinho grape is grown on granite. That gives minerality to the wine’s young texture. Drink from 2023. —R.V.
$22
Wine-Searcher
Quinta do Ameal 2020 Loureiro (Vinho Verde); 90 Points.
From a vineyard in the Lima Valley, the heartland of Loureiro, the wine is finely textured, allowing room for the lemon and the crisp apple flavors and also for the taut edge of acidity. The wine is a little young and will be better from 2023. —R.V.
$15
Vivino
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Wine Enthusiast 12-Bottle Compact Wine Cooler
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Grassl Mineralité Wine Glass
Published on August 26, 2022
