The Evolution Of The Fizzy Low-Alcohol Portuguese White Wine
In recent years, Portuguese wines, with their multitude of native varieties as well as their diversity in topography and microclimates, all at a great value, have taken the U.S. by storm with many restaurants and retail stores starting to add wines from Portugal to their shelves and lists. However, at one time, there were only two types of styles that dominated the market, Vinho Verde and Port (fortified wine). Although there are so many exciting wines coming out of Portugal, it is interesting to look at the resurgence of Vinho Verde (a fizzy, low-alcohol, off-dry white wine) as it is coming back strong into the market over the past few years. It is a wine that makes one think of long, lazy days at the beach or lounging with a fun drink in one's hand by the pool.
Vinho Verde
Rui Miranda, the Export Director of Casa de Vila Nova (a.k.a. Vila Nova), talked about the evolution of Vinho Verde from a perspective of not only being someone who lives there (and was raised in the area) but also as a representative of a family winery that has owned land in Vinho Verde since the 12th century and started making Vinho Verde in the 1970s. Rui explained how these effervescent, sweet white wines went from being too low in alcohol (ranging from 9-10% abv) as well as having too much residual sugar (20g/l residual sugar) and an overabundance of CO2 to having more balance (11-12% abv, less sugar and CO2) because of a change in the economy. The people of Portugal were oppressed by a dictator until the mid-1970s and it took at least a decade after his rule ended to dismantle the authoritarian shackles; it was not until Portugal joined the European Union in 1986 that they had a chance to improve their agriculture.
Rui spoke about how the majority of the vineyards were owned by families that had small farms whose main focus was to grow food, such as corn, and so the grapes used for wine, which was a secondary priority, were placed on pergolas (a system of overhead vine training) above the crops, even sometimes up trees. The grapes would not get fully ripe and so these small wine producers decided to make a style with significant amounts of residual sugar for these low-alcohol wines in order to give body, as well as to counterbalance the high acid, and they kept CO2 (creating a fizz) in the wine created by the secondary malolactic fermentation to be a counterbalance to the sugar. It was far from a perfect wine but it was a fun sipper for the locals that was the best they could make considering their circumstances.
A couple of large wine companies decided to capitalize on this local delight and sold this style to the world. But through time, especially once becoming part of the European Union, they were able to have the resources to put more time and money into their vines and setting up proper vineyards, so these family grape growers started making their own wines. They still wanted to keep that beloved traditional style of Vinho Verde (translated as “green wine” because it was sold young) but a better version that could make them proud.
Vila Nova
The long-standing estate owners of Quinta de Vila Nova decided to become a family wine producer with Luís Lencastre leading the way with better practices in the vineyards, lower trained vines (allowing better canopy management) that are unobstructed by other crops for better sun exposure, which resulted in riper grapes that would need less residual sugar to balance out the acid and hence allowing for less CO2 - and so the sugar and bubbles are imperceptible to most consumers just adding lift and roundness to these fresh wines. Today Vila Nova is run by Luis’s children: Bernardo, Luísa, Sofia and Filipe.
Varietal Wines and Alvarinho
But Rui Miranda, Export Director of Vila Nova, also wanted to make clear that Vinho Verde is a place that produces an array of wines. Rui said the wine revolution started in Vinho Verde DOC (a wine designated region) around 15 years ago; part of this revolution had to do with raising the quality of their most famous style of wine but also highlighting their grape varieties with varietal wines – made from 100% of the same grape. The above fun, fizzy Vinho Verde is traditionally a blend of local white varieties but each variety has its own personality, so there has been a focus on having producers bottle still white wine versions of such native grapes like Loureiro. It is a grape known for its beautiful aromatics such as orange blossom and honeysuckle and as Rui said, “It has a small aging potential for up to five to six years and it will start to get Riesling notes such as petrol but then the wines are gone” and so he doesn’t recommend keeping them past that time. Most wine drinkers are a fan of it in its youth but there is a small following that keeps bottles for a few years for those who like the petrol note.
And then there is the very popular white grape variety Alvarinho, its much more famous Spanish sibling being Albariño. According to Jancis Robinson’s Wine Grapes, it is suggested that this variety came from the Galicia area of Spain. And since Rias Baixas is the main area where Spanish Albariño is grown in Galicia, which shares a border with Vinho Verde with only a river separating them, it makes sense that it is a native of Vinho Verde as well. But as Rui noted, “The marketing potential of the grape is big because the Spaniards did the job that we couldn’t” and hence why, as a region, they are placing a lot of energy into it. “Some are using American oak, some are using French oak, others only stainless steel, some do malolatic fermentation and others don’t. Everyone is doing Alvarinho and you have different realities for the same grape: soil, winemaker, etc.” Rui explained and he continued, “it is called the Queen of the white grape varieties in Portugal.”
A Better Quality of Life as Well as Quality of Wine
Portugal is certainly showing the world the diversity and range of wine styles that it is capable of producing as a country, but there is no other style that will be enjoyed across the world as much as that fizzy, off-dry white wine that many refer to as simply Vinho Verde. It is because the wine represents times when one is taking a break from the challenges of life to decompress and absorb the beauty that surrounds her. Ironically, many of the people growing those grapes never had that opportunity to take a break from their life while recovering from oppressive times, but things have changed and not only has the quality of their wines gotten better but their lives have been improved as well and so it has truly become a wine that represents a better quality of life.
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2018 Vila Nova, Vinho Verde, Vinho Verde DOC, Portugal: 60% Loureiro and 40% Fernão Pires. This is a nice version of a modern Vinho Verde fizzy, off-dry white. As mentioned before, Loureiro is a native grape variety that gives lovely aromatics and Fernão Pires also gives a different floral profile, such as roses, with a good amount of fruit flavors and so this wine has pretty mixed floral notes with tangerine fruit and lemon confit with a slight prickle and the 7.9g/l residual sugar is really not noticed but displays itself in more of a fruit forward quality on the palate that has a good amount of body to balance the bright acidity. This wine has 11.5% abv for alcohol which is still considered nicely on the low side of the alcohol range but not too low where it affects the quality. It is still a great value with a suggested retail price of $11.99.
2018 Vila Nova, Loureiro, Vinho Verde DOC, Portugal: 100% Loureiro. This is one of those single white varietal wines that is helping Vinho Verde build a higher quality white wine niche as well as give the world a chance to get to know some of their favorite native varieties. Again, as mentioned above, Loureiro does have aging potential for up to five to six years with some petrol notes, for those who like that Riesling characteristic. This wine had ripe peach notes with hints of rose oil and a stony minerality on the finish. 15% of the grapes had skin contact. Suggested retail price is $14.99.
2018 Vila Nova, Alvarinho, Vinho Regional IG (Vinho Verde), Portugal: 100% Alvarinho. Many may know this grape by its Spanish name Albariño from Rias Baixas, Spain, but it is considered a native variety in Vinho Verde too since only a river separates the two areas. Mouthwatering acidity with pineapple and mango notes that had a saline minerality on the long, refreshing finish. 50% of the grapes are macerated on their skins for 12 hours and only stainless steel is used in order to highlight varietal characteristics. Also, the wine spends three months on its lees to give it more body. Rui said that the main difference between an Albariño from Rias Baixas and an Alvarinho from Vinho Verde is that the latter is more fruit-forward but that they both have that underlying mineral note. Also, a note about the IG rather than DOC status - the grapes do come from Vinho Verde but were not technically made part of the zone until recently and so the next vintage will show a DOC Vinho Verde status. Suggested retail price is $17.99.
2015 Vila Nova, Douro Red, Douro Valley DOC, Portugal: 50% Tinta Roriz, 30% Touriga Nacional and 20% Touriga Franca. Since Vila Nova is near the Douro Valley, it made sense for them to make a red blend that they wanted to be a summer friendly red wine with moderate intensity and just a hint of oak spending only six months in used 200 liter French oak barrels. Juicy blackberry fruit with lilacs and a touch of earth with round, easy-going tannins. Suggested retail price: $11.99.