After decades (centuries?) of being known almost exclusively for fortified dessert wines, Portuguese table wines are finally experiencing a much deserved renaissance at home and abroad. Perhaps unsurprisingly the red wines and red wine regions are getting the bulk of that attention, but one region has always been famous for white wine: Vinho Verde. Of course, that fame is built on inexpensive, often slightly effervescent wines that are pleasant, simple quaffers. Today’s discovery is almost the exact opposite: Textured, complex, mineral-laden, and without even a whisper of a prickle, this is a soaring testament to the potential of this region to make Alvarinho (aka Albariño) that can rival the most exquisite examples from its siblings in Galicia to the north. It’s time to (re)discover the delicious potential of Portuguese white wines in general, and Vinho Verde in particular!
The Santiago family have been farming wine grapes in the far northwestern corner of Portugal since at least 1899. For most of that history they were also growing olives for olive oil, farming grains and vegetables, and generally subsisting on what they produced. For more than a century the grapes were sold to the local co-operative, but in 2009 the family decided that it was time to label and produce their own wine: Quinta de Santiago. The impetus was a talented new generation led by Joana Santiago, who was encouraged by her grandmother and family matriarch Mariazinha to help put their humble estate on the map by creating wines that show the true potential of their land. Joana is joined by her parents, her brother, Portuguese winemaker extraordinaire Nuna Mira de Ó (more on him tomorrow!), and a small team of dedicated vineyard workers.
The land that Mariazinha knew was special terroir is located in the heart of the Vinho Verde subzone known as Monção e Melgaço. The broader Vinho Verde zone occupies the northwestern corner of Portugal, stretching from Porto to the Spanish border, and as mentioned it’s known globally for its very light, very young take on Alvarinho that usually maintains efflorescence from naturally trapped CO2 (or added bubbles in many cases). But Alvarinho is a grape capable of so much more, and we know that because of the wines that are made just over the border in Galicia. The Santiago farm in Monção sits very close to that border, and is mere miles from the DOs of Ribeiro and Rías Baixas.
The proximity to the Atlantic coast and the Minho river makes the wines of Monção very similar to those of Ribeiro, especially when you blend the Alvarinho (Albariño) with another common local grape (on both sides of the border) Loureiro. The soils of Monção though are very high in limestone–in Rías Baixas you get sand and granite–and that leads to elegant, textured wines. For this cuvée the hand-harvested grapes are fermented with wild yeasts in temperature controlled steel tanks, and then the finished wine is aged for an additional five months on the fine lees to gain additional complexity and depth.
Serve this graceful, medium-bodied white wine in all-purpose glasses at around 50 degrees and you’ll be almost instantly rewarded with a rush of bright fruit–green papaya, yellow apple, lime cordial–that is followed by citrus blossoms, raw almonds, dried herbs, and wet rocks. There is a pleasing zing of phenolic bitterness near the finish that balances the fruit and then the saline minerals come on strong. Enjoy with fresh seafood like razor clams and grilled whole prawns, or whip up a classic bit of Portuguese bacalau salad. Vinho Verde: It’s time to show your true colors!
