Azevedo Loureiro-Alvarinho, Vinho Verde 2022

During the 1980s, this small quinta was purchased and carefully restored by Sogrape, a large, family-run wine and port company making wine from over 800 hectares of vineyards throughout Portugal. They continue to run the estate to this day, employing their experienced winemaker Miguel Pessanha to craft its wines.

Quinta de Azevedo has just 35 hectares, and is located between the Lima and Cávado rivers in the well-respected Barcelos commune of the vinho verde region, in the northwest of Portugal. The plantings are a 70/30 split between loureiro, a grape native to the region and known for its floral bouquet, and pedernã, a grape used widely in Portugal and known elsewhere in the country as arinto. Pedernã is more neutral in flavour but has naturally fresh acidity.

The vineyard layout is quite modern, with vertical trellising keeping the vines well aerated and helping to prevent diseases. Right in the centre of the vineyards is the winery, built by Sogrape in the mid-1980s, and equally up-to-date, with temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats and a natural and gentle winemaking process, producing fresh and elegant wines.

Azevedo has been one of the first in Portugal to adopt a screwcap for its wine, thereby better retaining the freshness of the vinho verde style. The 2014 vintage, in its handsome new livery, was a Society Wine Champion.