Wine & Spirits - August 2019 - 53

YEAR'S BEST VINHOS VERDES
on the lees. It has the meaty coriander spice
of the pork roast you might serve with it. §
Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY

of this granitic Atlantic white, rich and bold,
ornate with turmeric-like spice. It's heady
up front, then cleans up in the end, a spicy
white for grilled lulas (squid). § Aidil Wines &
Liquors, Newark, NJ
272356

88 | Quinta da Aveleda

$10

$15

2018 Vinho Verde (Best Buy) ^ A gentle
vintage of Aveleda's estate-grown loureiroalvarinho blend, this is clean and round,
with fresh orange-blossom scents that last.
Its light richness is balanced by touches of
minerality. A refreshing Atlantic white, this
is a great choice for summer fêtes. § Aveleda,
Pawtucket, RI
271468

2017 Vinho Verde Destino ^ João Cabral de
Almeida makes this 70/30 blend of loureiro
and alvarinho, a fresh, lime-scented Vinho
Verde with firm concentration to its flavors.
It's simple and lasting, a delicious match for
wine-steamed mussels and clams. (W&S
2/19) § ALT Wines, Coral Gables, FL

2018 Vinho Verde AV Loureiro (Best Buy) ^
This wine's spicy white-fruit flavors bring
to mind white tea and the white crown of a
strawberry coming into ripeness. It's tart and
pithy, and should open up by mid- to late
summer. § Aviva Vino, NY

235354

90 | Fifth Empire

88 | Quinta da Lixa

$10

271399

88 | Quinta da Raza

271531

90 | Quintas de Melgaço

$14

2018 Vinho Verde Torre de Menagem
Alvarinho/Trajadura (Best Buy) ^ This lightens up and tightens up with air, as if the initial spritz of CO2 and the creamy fruit character meld into crunchy white peach. It's
at turns firm and lush, with a racy acidity
that will clean up after grilled mackerel. § M
Imports, Fairfield, CT
271359

90 | Vila Nova

$15

2018 Vinho Verde Loureiro ^ A rain of
apples, cool peaches and pink grapefruit
fills this wine's flavor with round fresh-fruit
simplicity. Touches of sweetness add to the
wine's heft while talc-like acidity keeps it in
line for a range of foods, from a salad dressed
with peaches, grapefruit, nuts and cheeses
to a seared albacore steak with grapefruit. §
Quintessential, Napa, CA
271390

89 | Anselmo Mendes

$11

2018 Vinho Verde Muros Antigos Escholha
(Best Buy) ^ There's some flesh on the bones

$13

2018 Vinho Verde Raza (Best Buy) ^ This
blend is mostly arinto and azal, varieties
suited to the higher elevations of inland
Vinho Verde, with pockets of schist soil close
to the Douro region. It's a full-figured white,
with fuzzy-peach scents and fresh grape
sweetness that lasts. The acidity has the
peppery bite of arugula, suggesting a match
for those greens tossed with flakes of grilled
tuna. § Regal Wine Imports, Moorestown, NJ
271609

87 | Aliança

$9

2018 Vinho Verde (Best Buy) ^ Brisk and
clean, with scents of jasmine and green notes
of boxwood, this balances its sweet fruit with
mineral-tinged acidity. It's crisp refreshment
for picnics at the beach. § Tri-Vin Imports, New
Rochelle, NY
271330

87 | Faisão

$8

Vinho Verde (Best Buy) ^ A simple, refreshing wine, this has scents of rosemary, sweet
tangerine and lime pith; for a picnic. § Winesellers, Niles, IL
272165

87 | Vidigal

$10

2018 Vinho Verde (Best Buy) ^ Spritzy with
lemon-lime flavors, this wine's platinum
color and sweet simplicity make it a clean,
vinous alternative to Sprite. § Elixir Wine
Group, Bend, OR

ROSÉ
271022

92 | Aphros

$25

92 | Quinta do Soalheiro

$22

2017 Vinho Verde Phaunus-Palhete ^ This
may well be the nattiest of the Aphros wines
we tasted. If you enjoy the Lucy Margaux
wines from South Australia, you might appreciate this blend of white (loureiro) and red
(vinhão) grapes, destemmed and fermented
with the juice and the skins in beeswax-lined
amphorae. It's meaty and sanguine, as spicy
as crushed coriander seeds and as fresh as a
wild strawberry patch. Chill it for roast suckling pig or spicy meatballs made with ground
lamb. § Skurnik Wines & Spirits, NY
271304
2018 Minho Mineral Rosé ^ This is the second vintage of this rosé from Soalheiro, a
new wine Luís Cerdeira makes by blending
alvarinho with 30 percent pinot noir. It's pale
pink, with a lot of spritz, but once the CO2
dissipates, the wine is all fresh strawberries,
deeper notes of sour cherries and red-apple
skin, resolving to the creamy pear-like flavor of alvarinho in the end. It's bright, delicious and heady, set for pork rillettes. § Wine
In-Motion USA, Newark, NJ n

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Wine & Spirits - August 2019

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