Vinho Verde
Vinho Verde — green wine, meaning young — is the lightly fizzy, low-alcohol white from Portugal's rainy northwest. The basic blend is bright and citric at 9-11% ABV; serious single-varietal Alvarinho from Monção e Melgaço can reach 13% and earn premium pricing. Granite soils, high vine training to combat damp, and short aging are the regional norms.
Signature grapes
Defining styles
Famous appellations
- Monção e Melgaço
- Lima
- Cávado
History
Vines have been trained high here for centuries, originally to free space below for other crops. The DOC was created in 1908. For decades the region exported a slightly sweet, mass-market style; the 1990s onward saw a steady shift toward drier, varietal Alvarinho aimed at restaurants and quality export markets.