After a sunny day showing off the hidden gems of my city of Lisbon, I sat on one of the more discreet terraces by the river drinking a refreshing glass of “vinho verde” (“green wine”). The afternoon unfolded in metallic brushstrokes while all around me the buzz of travelers and their most unusual requests amused me. Then, at the table immediately next to me, a couple of Australians, with an almost impenetrable accent, asked for the same wine I had chosen. They examined the bottle with an understanding demeanor and after a few seconds asked for ice. They must have been puzzled by my rolling my eyes as if to say, what the hell, ice? However, after a brief conversation advocating this wine, with all its unique attributes, I learned that it was a couple of winemakers discovering the famous Portuguese wine. They gave me a few explanations for the unusual gesture, but they failed to convince me. Yes, but since we taste a great deal we want to stay sober and the ice reduces the levels of alcohol. Yes… But let’s get to the facts.
No “green wine” is green. It’s green as opposed to aged. Light, low-alcohol, acidic, digestive, drunk very cold. It’s fruity and explosive and perhaps that’s why the Romans had already documented it, which doesn’t surprise us, to the extent that we’ve been delimiting its region to the north of Porto exclusively since 1908.
It’s a deliciously young wine intended to be consumed the year after bottling. The production process involves a precise calculation to pick the grapes at the ideal time, when they have the right balance of sugars, tannins and acids. Apart from these production rules, it is an absolutely anarchic wine with no rules: its versatility is remarkable thanks to its variations. It is white, but also rosé, red and even sparkling, rivaling the most prestigious champagne. It can be paired with traditional comfort food, seafood and vegetables. It is ideal served in winter by the crackling fireplace or on a mild spring day with its hints of ocean and granite soil. A glass can contain notes of a leafy vineyard full of spectacular green tones. All is bliss and a promise of summer days.
The north of Portugal is where the wine list seems to show us a limitless number of choices, but if your destination includes places like Lisbon, the Alentejo and the Algarve, the green wine list seems to shrink in its scope when compared to the hundreds of options offered elsewhere. Single grape variety or a blend, make sure your wine is made with Alvarinho, Loureiro or Trajadura.
But on the rocks? Never!
