2022 VINHO VERDE. Alvanrinho, Azevedo. Minho, Portugal

Hop across south of the Galician border in northwest Spain into the Minho in Portugal and you would feel very little change in the green and cool climate environment these vines gown in. The cooling Atlantic influences ensure wines are always crisp, clean, and zesty but with no lack of ripeness, especially in years like 2022.

Azevedo is an old estate, but its modern history started in 1982, when Fernando Guedes acquired the historic site. He immediately set out to transform the wines and reputation. He switched the vines from the high trained, broad canopy, pergola system to the lower grown and more densely planted cordon-trained vineyards. This allows greater sunlight penetration and ventilation (important in a damper region) as well as increasing competition between vines and reducing yields. He also built a new, modern winery with state-of-the-art technology.

100% Alvarinho.

Alvarinho, in Portugal, is the same grape as Albariño, in Spain. And in Vinho Verde it is considered by many producers to be the finest white grape of all.

Today, winemaker Diogo Sepúlveda oversees all the winemaking with quality and authenticity firmly the priority. The Alvarinho grapes for this wine are sourced from more inland and sheltered vineyards on predominantly granite soils. Grapes were destemmed and juice and skins were cold soaked prior to cool fermentation in stainless steel with inoculated yeasts. The wine was then aged on lees for 4 months.

2022 was a much warmer vintage than average with harvesting starting at the beginning of September and completed before the heavy rains arrived later in the month. The quality of the grapes was excellent.

Drink now and over the next 18 months whilst at its refreshing best.