Vinho Verde

Vinho Verde is not a grape variety, it is a DOC for production of wine. The name literally means “green wine,” but also translates as “young wine”, with wine being released in 3-6 months after the grapes are harvested. They may be red, white, or rosé and they are usually consumed soon after bottling. A Vinho Verde can also be a sparkling, a Late Harvest or even Brandy although these are rare and are generally consumed locally. In its early years of production, the slight effervescence of white wines came from malolactic fermentation taking place in the bottle. This is usually considered a wine fault when it happens in the bottle but Vinho Verde producers found that consumers liked the slightly fizzy nature. However, the wines had to be packaged in opaque bottles in order to hide sediment that the “in-bottle MLF” produced. Today, Vinho Verde producers make more stable and cleaner wines but add a little CO₂ to replicate the traditional style.

The region is characterised by its many small growers, which numbered around 19,000 as of 2014. Many of these growers used to train their vines high off the ground, using trees or fences so that they could cultivate vegetable crops below the vines that their families may use as a food source.

There are early references in Roman literature to vines in the area between the rivers Douro and Minho. A record exists of a winery being donated to a convent in 870ad, and the vineyards seem to have expanded over the following centuries, planted by religious orders and encouraged by lower taxes to the wealthy nobelmen. Wines were mostly produced for domestic consumption, although Vinho Verde may have been exported as early as the 12th century, to England, Germany, and Flanders. The first definite exports to England are recorded by John Croft as taking place in 1788.

The arrival of maize from South America and a need to feed a growing population in the 16th century slowed the growth of viticulture in the region. To maximise production of maize, new regulations banished vines to the edge of fields, where they would be draped over trees and hedges, forcing the vignerons to pick them from tall ladders. Today, you can find some examples of vines trained by the old methods, but most of the Vinho Verde Region is now using modern methods, which give larger and better yield.

The “Vinho Verde Region” was demarcated by law in September 1908 and a decree of October the same year. The regulations controlling production were largely set in 1926, with recognition as a Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) in 1984.