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The Society's Vinho Verde 2020

4.666666500 star rating 24 Reviews
This is a classic example of this light and easy-drinking style from northern Portugal, with delicate spritz and bright, fresh palate.
is no longer available
Code: PW8521

Wine characteristics

  • White Wine
  • 2 - Dry
  • 12% Alcohol
  • no oak influence
  • Screwcap

Portugal

Like its neighbour Spain, Portugal has been undergoing something of a quiet revolution over the last twenty years or so. A reluctance to follow trends and plant international grapes is now paying dividends and the new breed of full-blooded, fruit-filled wines are more than able to compete on the world stage. The unique flavours that are the hallmark of Portugal's indigenous grape varieties have become its trump card.

Vinho Verde, sometimes spritzy and youthful and sometimes made with the aim of creating a more serious white wine, is in the verdant north-west, bordering the Spanish province of Galicia. A wet and fertile area, the grapes ripen with moderate sugar levels and refreshing acidity, meaning that the wines are usually lowish in alcohol at about 10-11%. Astringent, low alcohol red Vinho Verde is also produced.

Trás-os-Montes is a remote region of harsh winters and hot, dry summers in the north-east of the country is bound on one side by high mountains and on the other the...
Like its neighbour Spain, Portugal has been undergoing something of a quiet revolution over the last twenty years or so. A reluctance to follow trends and plant international grapes is now paying dividends and the new breed of full-blooded, fruit-filled wines are more than able to compete on the world stage. The unique flavours that are the hallmark of Portugal's indigenous grape varieties have become its trump card.

Vinho Verde, sometimes spritzy and youthful and sometimes made with the aim of creating a more serious white wine, is in the verdant north-west, bordering the Spanish province of Galicia. A wet and fertile area, the grapes ripen with moderate sugar levels and refreshing acidity, meaning that the wines are usually lowish in alcohol at about 10-11%. Astringent, low alcohol red Vinho Verde is also produced.

Trás-os-Montes is a remote region of harsh winters and hot, dry summers in the north-east of the country is bound on one side by high mountains and on the other the border with Spain (the name means 'behind the mountains'. The schistous soils and the grapes are similar to those of the Douro. Reds are often lighter and more aromatic than those of neighbouring Douro.

The Douro is one of the most beautiful wine regions in the world, and deservedly Portugal's best known, the Douro has quickly emerged to lead the way as the country's premium wine region and there is a real pioneering spirit amongst the winemakers here, port shippers included. Although there is an enormous variety of different terroirs within the Douro Valley, this is essentially a sparsely populated, hot, arid region where grapes are grown on spectacularly steep terraced slopes. Wine grapes are the same as those that go into Port. Wines tend to be high in tannin and flavour.

Dão is south of the Douro on granite slopes protected by high mountains and pine forests. The region produces one of Portugal's better-known reds of the same name. Once dominated by rather lack-lustre co-operatives, the area now has a whole clutch of dynamic, small producers making elegant, approachable and enjoyable wines.

Between the mountains and the coast, on fertile clay soils, is Bairrada (barro is Portuguese for clay). Better known for red wines, this is one of the only wine regions in Portugal to be dominated by a single grape variety,the tannic, high-acid baga, making wines that can be tough and astringent in their youth but which soften with age, becoming beguilingly perfumed. These days many blend baga with non-indigenous grapes to make a friendlier style, but the greatest are pure baga. The area also benefits from late-afternoon breezes which favour the production of fresh, food-friendly whites and increasingly popular sparkling wines.

Beira Interior is a rather disparate region covering a vast swathe of inland Portugal south of the Douro and east of Dão. Vineyards are grown at altitude on granite soils. In the north, grapes are similar to those of the Douro while the south has a whole mix of varieties.

Lisboa is a large, coastal region that runs north from Lisbon. Atlantic breezes help cool the vineyards and maintain the fresh acidity and aromatics in the mostly white wines. North of Bucelas, on the Atlantic west coast lies the strip of rolling countryside that contains nine separate DOCs under the umbrella name of Lisboa. This is Portugal's largest wine producing region in volume terms.

Bucelas was the first wine The Society ever sold! This tiny DOC is one of the closest to Lisbon. It produces breezy dry whites which are popular locally.

Tejo was formerly known as Ribatejo is known for good, everyday drinking wines in a range of styles from a wide range of permitted grapes. This region lies on either side of the River Tagus

Lying across the mouth of theTagus river, the Península de Setúbal is a flat, sandy region with the exception of the Serra da Arrábida a short chain of mountains with clay and limestone soils. There are two DOCs here, Palmela north-east of the peninsula where the castelão grape is ideally suited to the sandy soils, and Setúbal, where a sweet fortified wine is made primarily from muscat of Alexandria.

The Alentejo province stretches south from the Tagus to the Algarve and east to the border with Spain and covers almost a third of continental Portugal. Divided into seven diverse sub-regions, the undulating hills are home to many crops. Despite the challengingly arid climate here, this is a dynamic region, referred to sometimes as Portugal's 'new world'.
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Adega de Monção

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...
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.
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