The Society's Alvarinho, Vinho Verde 2022

Formed in 1958 by just 25 producers, Adega de Monção has since grown to involve 1600 growers, and is now closed to new members. However, each grower only provides grapes from a tiny portion of land, meaning Monção only farm around 1200 hectares in total.

They are located in the heart of quality wine production in the vinho verde region – in Portugal’s northernmost quarters, bordering Spain’s Galicia region – in a small sub-region called Monção e Melgaço, in the province of Minho. The Minho region provides beautiful surroundings to the vineyards, with majestic mountains sloping down to the sea like an amphitheatre, and the plentiful rivers, fertile plains and moderate temperatures making the area ideal for vinho verde production.

Adega de Monção has not just evolved in size over the years: between 1986 and 2004 they underwent huge reformations in improving their grape reception, winemaking process and storage facilities, and stabilising their bottling procedures. In 1999, they opened a whole new winery in Melgaço, and in 2005 they even converted an unused section of their original winery into a historical and cultural space, which they opened to the public.

The co-op has been celebrated greatly in Portugal, both in national wine magazines and at events such as the ‘Lisbon Celebrates Wine’ Festival, and their Muralhas brand is one of the most widely distributed in Portugal. Now a well-equipped modern winery and thriving business, the Adega de Monção upholds the tradition of making a range of vinho verde wines – mostly white but also rose and reds, which are highly popular locally – from traditional local grape varieties.