Alvarinho from the south bank of the Minho, grown in plots so small the growers call them jardins, gardens. A tribute to the farmers and tile makers of northern Portugal, right down to the azulejo on the label.
Tasting Notes
Bright and vibrant in the glass. The nose opens on creamy citrus oil, lime and yellow apple, with peach and grapefruit behind and a floral lift of orange blossom. The palate is zesty and lively with real substance to it, more than the average summer sipper, and a saline minerality carried in off the Atlantic runs underneath the fruit. The finish is long and cleanly acidic. Note that there is no added CO2 here, unlike much of the wider Vinho Verde category, so this is a still wine with fuller body rather than a spritzy one.
Quick Facts
- Grape: 100% Alvarinho, the same variety Spain calls Albariño
- Origin: Portugal, Minho, from the Monção and Melgaço villages
- Vineyards: Over 100 tiny plots, sustainably farmed, vines planted between 1910 and 2005
- Soil: Granite and schist at 20 to 250 metres
- Style: Dry white, unoaked, no added CO2
- Winemaking: Hand harvested, gently pressed, cool slow fermentation in temperature controlled stainless steel, then around four months on stainless before bottling
- Winemaker: Alberto Orte
Food Pairing
Grilled octopus and fried calamari, oysters, ceviche, fish tacos, spicy food, and both creamy and strongly flavoured cheeses. Good enough on its own to need nothing at all.
Serving
Serve at 10 to 12°C, achieved by opening the bottle once it comes out of the fridge. Drink young.
About the Producer
Monção and Melgaço sit at the northernmost tip of Portugal along the Minho river, directly across the water from Rías Baixas in Galicia and planted to the same grape. This is the original home of Alvarinho, documented in local monastery records as far back as the 12th century, and a semi circle of hills shelters it from Atlantic winds to give cold wet winters and hot dry summers. Farming here still follows the old pattern, vines trained on granite pergolas across plots the size of a garden. Nórtico draws on more than a hundred of them.
