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Refreshing Vinho Verde

What a great wine for a summer's evening. A good vinho verde such as this one, Quinta de Azevedo  2010 (£6.99, Waitrose), is fresh, crisp, light and totally refreshing. It partners any light chicken or fish dish so well, and, being only 11.5% alcohol, doesn't give you a head the next morning! It is slightly chalky in style, and its youth shows in a bit of spritz.

Vinho Verde is Portuguese, from the Minho region in the far north of the country, and  the name literally means "Green Wine" (red or white), referring to its youthful freshness.  The region is characterized by its many small growers, so the wine offered above is from Sogrape, the large wine producer. So, it is unique, a protected denomination, and you get a chance to talk about obscure grape varieties such as Loureiro and Arinto...

The 2010 in particular has received good press, and won a number of medals, so I cannot claim an original find. That said, it is still worthy of a recommendation in anyone's book.

Much to be enjoyed here!

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