Aveleda Praia Vinho Verde Wine Review

Vinho Verde is one of my favorite summer pleasures and this week’s Wine Wednesday feature the Aveleda Praia Vinho Verde is among the best I’ve had. 

Vinho Verde translates as “green wine”, but really means “young wine” as there are red, white and even rosé Vinho Verde.  It is “young wine” because most are meant to be consumed within a year of bottling. Therefore, most bottles don’t show a vintage year, though some list a bottling date. When shopping for Vinho Verde, the younger the better. Vinho Verde is not a varietal, but rather a growing region in the northwestern most area of Portugal.

The word Praia means beach in Portuguese and the name was possibly chosen because of the vineyards proximity to the Atlantic Ocean. Or maybe, it’s because it’s an exceptional wine for an afternoon on the beach.

Praia is a blend of 40% Arinto, 30% Loureiro, 20% Trajadura and 10% Azal. The wine exhibits a pale straw color with slightly grassy and herbal notes along with pronounced lemon. As with most Vinho Verde, it is effervescent. Though not enough to be considered a sparkling wine, it is lively and refreshing on the tongue. I particularly enjoyed the luscious not-too-tart lemon and minerality on the finish. This one was a little more interesting (I hesitate to say complex as it goes against the nature of Vinho Verde), but more interesting than most.

It is the perfect complement to a salad or seafood.  Serve with Lobster BLT Salad or nosh on Tortilla Chips with Garden Fresh Guacamole. Click the links below to print or save the recipe pairing suggestions.

Lobster BLT Salad

Garden Fresh Guacamole

Casal Garcia Vinho Verde Wine Review

 “The heat is on”, sing it with me now, “the heat is o on” - at least it is in Nashville,TN. Like clockwork, the temps and humidity seem to rise every year about this time coinciding with CMA Fest. Today’s Wine Wednesday feature, the non-vintage Casal Garcia Vinho Verde is the kind of wine I reach for on days like this.

Vinho Verde means “green wine”, however it’s a reference, not to the color, but to the age of the wine thus translating as “young wine”.  It is a non-vintage wine (no year on the bottle) because Vinho Verde is meant to be consumed within the first year. Vinho Verde is a wine growing region in Portugal and generally Vinho Verde are blends, this one, a white blend of Trajadura, Loureiro, Arinto and Aza.

The wine is very refreshing for several reasons, the lower alcohol content (10% by Vol), a slight effervescence signature to Vinho Verde and of course its tasting notes. The effervescence traditionally due to malolactic fermentation in the bottle is now accomplished prior to bottling followed by an addition of artificial carbonation. Though there is a definite effervescence, not enough for Vinho Verde to qualify as a semi-sparkling wine.

Though “verde” does not refer to the color, the wine does however  have a slightly greenish straw color. On the nose, lemon, apple and pear and green vegetables. On the palate, crisp with a delightful tickle of effervescence and a slight minerality which almost gives the experience of a palate cleanser. We enjoyed this with Grilled Swordfish with Lime Crema.  You’ll want to keep the food light, grilled fish, seafood and salads. I would also recommend Grilled Shrimp with Wasabi Remoulade,. To print or save the wine pairing suggestions click the links below.

Grilled Swordfish with Lime Crema

Grilled Shrimp with Wasabi Remoulade