Vera Vinho Verde 2020

Lemon Peel, Yellow Apple, Yellow Nectarine, Carambola

Is there anything more fun to drink with a crowd than Vinho Verde? This fresh, friendly, lower alcohol and slightly frizzante wine is perfect when lots of people are coming together. In fact, during the 1950s and 1960s, Vinho Verde was branded as the “national soft drink of Portugal,” largely due to its low alcohol and prevalence in social gatherings! Our latest discovery comes from Rui Abecassis, one of the legends of the Portuguese wine industry. It was created years ago as a private label for a large retailer in NYC, but has since grown to become one of the most respected examples in the market today.

What makes this wine special is that unlike most examples of Vinho Verde, farmed from vast stretches of vineyards on valley floors, this one comes from an estate close to the border of the Douro Valley. Most of their vineyard sites are planted to Loureiro and Arinto, classic Vinho Verde varieties, but the rarely seen Azal Branco is also utilized for body and aromatic complexity. The finished wine is bottled with less carbon dioxide as well, because they do not want to hide any of the beautiful fruit behind the fizz. - Tim