What makes Vinho Verde like no other wine in the world? Well, you're about to find out!
Last week, I had the opportunity to do it like the Portuguese do up in the north - relax in a backyard and sip on vinho verde.
Vinho Verde is a Portuguese wine from the northern regions of the country. Although Vinho Verde literally means 'green wine', you can still find it as a red, white, or rose wine. Tonight, however, we were introduced to 5 different whites (more about that later). You might also be able to find a sparkling Vinho Verde, which I actually got my first taste of it when I was travelling in Lisbon, Portugal last year.
This wine tasting was organized by Ellen Douglas, a producer of a global food, wine & travel series, and co-hosted by Rea Kelly, a leading Canadian Artist known for both her work and art appreciation parties. As we entered Ellen's backyard, we were quickly greeted with a glass of vinho verde and Rea's beautiful art pieces. I loved how this was a small intimate tasting with a group of wine-loving individuals! We gathered around a table with all sorts of goodies, as Ellen taught us about vinho verde.
Did you know that only a small percentage (around 20%) of the wine made in northern Portugal is sent out for other countries to try? 80% of their wine is kept within the country for the locals. I am by no means a wine expert - I'm just a wine lover! I love trying new wines and adding them to my list of favourites. And that was my goal of the night. The five wines we got to learn and taste include the following:
• Aveleda Vinho Verde - This was the first wine we got to taste. It was light and refreshing with fruity aromas and a little spritz. It was a great wine to start off the evening!
• Gazela Vinho Verde - This was a super light and easy to drink wine. It almost felt like I was drinking water (so dangerous lol)
• Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde - On more of the dry side, I really enjoyed this one as it was fruity and also had more taste and substance to it than the previous one.
• Quinta de Simaens Vinho Verde - This one was my favourite. As I've steered away from super sweet wines in the past year, this one tickled my taste buds (lmao that sounds so weird lol love it). It was not as sweet as the three previous ones and had a more complex taste! I'm super sad this one isn't available at the LCBO yet!
• Vinhos Borges Alvarinho - To end off our tasting, this wine was very smooth and also not as sweet as the first three.
A big thank you to Ellen for teaching us about vinho verde and Rea for sharing her art! It was such a fun evening sippin' and learning about wine. Although I'm more of a red wine gal, I've learned to not be so closed minded about whites. Ellen, you're right. A glass of vinho verde while sitting in your backyard on a warm, summer day sounds perfect. So I'll definitely be picking up a bottle of vinho verde at the LCBO for the next patio night I have!
