Vinho Verde

Question 1

Vinho Verde DOP location

Answer 1

• Located in the northwestern corner of the country, share exact geographical boundaries with the Minho IGP
• stretch northward from the city of Oporto to the Spanish border (the Minho River)

Question 2

Vinho Verde DOP climate

Answer 2

A cool, rainy, Atlantic-influenced climate prevails, and grey rot can be problematic during the damp growing season.

Question 3

Enforcado

Answer 3

a traditional system in which the vines in the region have been trained high off the ground

Question 4

Vinho Verde DOP basics

Answer 4

• in Minho
• largest of all the regions,
• represents 15% of the nation’s total vineyard acreage
• “green wine,” a reference to the wines’ youthful freshness and the verdant countryside

Question 5

Vinho Verde DOP most heavily planted white grape

Answer 5

• Loureiro

- primary component of traditional Vinho Verde blends

Question 6

Vinho Verde DOP Other white grapes include

Answer 6

Other white grapes include Trajadura (Treixadura), Avesso, Pedernã (Arinto), and the Spanish Albariño. Known as Alvarinho in Portugal

Question 7

Alvarinho in Portugal

Answer 7

• the grape is chiefly bottled as a varietal wine near the northern town of Monção, situated directly across the Minho River from Rías Baixas’ Condado do Tea region.
• Monção e Melgaço Alvarinho remains a bright spot for quality in a region driven by high yields and mass production

Question 8

The white wines of Vinho Verde DOP

Answer 8

• The light, floral more common in both Europe and the US
• lively acidity and low alcohol levels, and are slightly sparkling—a result, generally, of carbon dioxide injection prior to bottling

Question 9

The red wines of Vinho Verde DOP

Answer 9

• The red wines, also pétillant, gain their sparkle from malolactic fermentation in the bottle, a process usually avoided for white wines.
• The wines, whether white or red, are at their best in the year after release.

Question 10

Vinho Verde DOP Red and rosato wine grapes

Answer 10

produced from grapes like Vinhão (a teinturier grape), Espadeiro, Borraçal, and Alvarelhão, represent a minority of exports.

Question 11

A light acidic white wine made mostly with Alvarinho grapes would most likely be from which Portuguese region?

Answer 11

Vinho Verde