What’s green ya mangy winos? Coming off the heels of everybody’s favorite “little green holiday” we’ve taken the liberty of dousing our little green gullets with an Irish dozen swigs of Vinho Verde — a beverage that literally translates to “green wine.”
While not Irish “per se,” these wines hail from the under appreciated winemaking powerhouse of Portugal which is a mere 29 hour drive away, depending on traffic.
Refreshing, slightly effervescent, and cheap as all hell – what could be better for ringing in the warmer, sunnier months here in the northern hemisphere? And if you’re not “here” and find yourself ringing in the colder months, we encourage you to drink a few of these anyway.
Vinho Verde Region
Low resolution map of Portugal borrowed from Iowa State University
Located in the northwest of Portugal, bordering Spain and the Atlantic Ocean, Vinho Verde is known for its lush green landscapes and rainy climate (LIKE IRELAND!). This moderate maritime climate creates the perfect conditions for producing crisp and refreshing wines, but the excessively high rainfall causes a host of issues, like rapid canopy growth and high risk of fungal diseases (THE BAD KIND!) so careful and diligent work is necessary to ensure that the “mighty green juice” is worth the “mighty green squeeze,” as the familiar saying goes.
DID YOU KNOW… Vinho Verde is very commonly bottled non-vintage, and is intended for IMMEDIATE consumption. So hurry up.
Winemaking, grapes and style
Vinho Verde produces white wines that are typically fresh, light, and slightly effervescent. As we noted, the name "Vinho Verde" translates to "green wine" alluding to young wines that are typically released 3-6 months after harvest. The winemaking process typically involves early harvesting to maintain high acidity, quick pressing, and fermentation in stainless steel tanks, followed by minimal aging before bottling. For most bottles, their characteristic fizziness doesn’t come from a secondary fermentation as is common among sparkling wines, like Champagne — instead, a small amount of carbon dioxide is added to the finished wines upon bottling. In some cases, producers may opt to use the more traditional secondary fermentation to introduce carbonation, but it is far less common, and certainly not something you’ll find in bottles at the price range we’ve explored today.
Other common features of Vinho Verde are low alcohol content, high acidity, and fruity and floral aromas, with flavors of citrus, green melon, pear, white flowers, and savings. They are typically blends made from indigenous grape varieties, primarily Loureiro and Arinto, but can also include Alvarinho (aka Albariño), Avesso, Azal, and Trajadura.
Extreme Portuguese value play:
Portugal is a haven for “value-driven” wines (THE CHEAP KIND!), offering exceptional quality at competitive prices due to its lower production costs (both land and labor) and diverse array of indigenous grape varieties. This value proposition extends across various regions, not limited to Vinho Verde, and we’re overdue to do a deeper dive into other Portuguese value wine regions in the near future (Alentejo, Dao, Bairrada etc.) – so STAY TUNED. Among them, Vinho Verde stands out for its extreme level of affordability, with all of the wines that we reviewed today “clocking in” at under $9.
Profile: Blossom, jasmine, lime, green apple, pear, tennis ball, wet stone Palate: Off-dry, high acid, light body, long finish
Wow, what a delight at this price point! I typically prefer wines that land more squarely in the “dry” category (this one just teeters into off-dry), but this wine was very well balanced, with bright limey acidity and lively flavors. It wasn’t too intensely flavored, but it featured really attractive aromas of white flowers and green fruits that beckoned the ole’ sniffer right on into the glass. The finish was long and the light effervescence just added to the fun factor here. Truly a steal at $6 a bottle.
Profile: New rubber, musty funk (dissipated), citrus, green apple, blossom Palate: Off dry, high acid, light body, short finish
I strongly disliked this wine. Once the musty funky note left me alone, each sip was like a mouthful of sour water that spent the last week aging in a new rubber bike tire or something. The flavor is citrusy, but bitter, like the pithy part of the rind. No real effervescence to speak of and in spite of the high acidity, somehow this wine still read flabby. Just a decidedly unpleasant wine.
TLDR; Hard no on this one, save your bus fare for literally any other bottle in the lineup today.
Profile: Kiwi, pear, lime, gardenia, elderflower, hint of yogurt Palate: Off-dry, high acid, light body, long finish
This wine goes hard on the fruits and florals. Inviting and straightforward notes of kiwi, pear and white flowers. On the palate, a bit of lime citrus and a slight yogurty character. The balance for me wasn’t quite there, and the off-dry character of the wine was too apparent, making this inherently less appealing to me. The acidity wasn’t quite sharp enough, and the effervescence too weak to lift it to where it needed to be. Nonetheless at $8 it’s hard to strap my complainy pants on too tight.
Profile: Barnyard, wet hay, band-aid, overripe passionfruit, mocha, rubber Palate: Dry, high acid, light body, medium finish
This wine honestly baffled. It’s the first time I’ve encountered a white wine that showed obvious signs of Brettanomyces. It’s rare for white wines to be affected by Brett because the typically lower pH and higher acidity (sounds redundant, but they are technically different things) are less hospitable to Brett, and the cooler more controlled conditions white wines are typically aged in make it less likely for it to develop. For Vinho Verde, which rarely sees oak (a common home for this divisive little yeast strain) and has an intended drinking window of roughly now, it makes it especially surprising to see. The list of reasons goes on, but you get it… NONETHELESS, this wine featured notes of barnyard, band-aid, and wet hay.
Now setting the pre-amble aside, there’s a few things worth noting.
Brett, is often a contaminant rather than an asset (though a number of incredibly good and familiar red wine styles can benefit from a controlled amount). This means that in production, it can be introduced unintentionally and it isn’t necessarily representative of the wine in every vintage. Unfortunately, this is a non-vintage wine. But this brings me to point deux…
No other reviews I’ve seen of this wine mention these notes, making the possibility of it being relevant to a particular batch of bottles more likely in my mind. Lastly…
Things changed for the far better when tasting the wine, as the flavors were fairly well balanced and largely pleasant (set aside the somewhat offensive aromatics) and the good part of the finish was pretty long, spreading those less than inviting returns to the glass delightfully far apart.
This wine did not feature too much effervescence and wasn’t too lively, and the fruit was largely indistinct. Given that this wine was the most expensive of the bunch at a jaw dropping $9, my advice would be to save it for the next Netflix price increase (or give it a try a few non-vintages from now).
So there you have it, ya thrifty little wine goblins—Vinho Verde: crisp, refreshing, and cheap enough to justify another bottle (or three). Whether you’re still shaking off the St. Paddy’s shenanigans or just looking for a go-to spring sipper, these Portuguese porch pounders deliver extreme bang for your buck.
And if you think this is where Portugal’s wine value stops—THINK AGAIN. We’re just getting started. Stay tuned for an even deeper dive into the ridiculously underappreciated (and underpriced!) wine regions of Portugal. Until then, keep your glasses full, your wallets happy, and your excuses for day drinking abundant.
Until next time, HAPPY DRINKING PEOPLE.
Saúde! Isaac & Zach
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Vinho Verde is great. There is even a red version. I had it once but never repeated the experience. If you want to try a wine with record levels of unripe tannins and malic acid, this is it.
Love the Vinho Verde region and the style of wine. Portugal has so much incredible wine and I’m always happy when people other than me showcase it! If you ever get the chance to visit the region- Guimarães is worth the visit.
Vinho Verde is great. There is even a red version. I had it once but never repeated the experience. If you want to try a wine with record levels of unripe tannins and malic acid, this is it.
Love the Vinho Verde region and the style of wine. Portugal has so much incredible wine and I’m always happy when people other than me showcase it! If you ever get the chance to visit the region- Guimarães is worth the visit.