Alvarinho

Portugal's most prestigious white grape, Alvarinho reaches its zenith in the Monção e Melgaço sub-region of Vinho Verde, where granitic soils, river-mediated humidity and a relatively warm pocket within the cool Minho yield wines of remarkable concentration. Expect intense aromatics of peach, citrus zest and white flowers, a pronounced salty-mineral edge, and a long, taut finish. Old-vine bottlings from producers like Soalheiro and Anselmo Mendes age beautifully for a decade or more. The same grape, called Albariño in Galicia, has shaped Atlantic white wine for centuries.