Earth Day has come and gone, but that’s no excuse to revert to old ways. We are, of course, referring to drinking habits. While it may seem that it has taken a while for the warmer weather to kick into gear, its arrival signals our transition to drinking lighter, brighter beverages. No wine epitomizes this mindset more than Vinho Verde, a crisp refreshing white from Northern Portugal. Vino’s recent acquisition of Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde is sure to help quench the thirst for an interesting and affordable white.

Purchased by Sogrape Vinhos, the largest wine company in Portugal, in 1982, Quinta de Azevedo continues to flourish as one of the leading producers of quality Vinho Verde. The 12-Century Quinta still stands and attached to it is modern winery that allows the estate great control over the winemaking process.

Made from indigenous Loureiro and Pedernã (aka Arinto), this vintage Vinho Verde, captures the essence of the appellation with its zippy acidity and lime character. Following stalk-removal and soft crushing to remove the skins, the must, protected from oxidation by using inert gas, went through a period of static decanting at low temperatures. For the Pedernã variety, this process took longer until the required level of clarity was achieved. The must was then taken to stainless steel, temperature-controlled fermentation vats, where it fermented for about 15 days at 60°F. All this effort yielded a clean, lean white perfect for picnics and stoop-side drinking. At only $12 a bottle, there’s no better time (or tastier way) to go green.

Quinta de Azevedo Vinho Verde 2009
$12

For more information please call 212-725-6516 or email info@vinosite.com.

In the world of wine, there are few absolutes nowadays; the exception to the rule tends to be the rule itself. When you sell Romanian Pinot Noir and varietal Clairette, you recognize that most good wines aren’t typical. After all, isn’t that what makes them good. Quinta Nova Colheita 2008 now joins the ranks as one of our best atypical wines.

Unfortified wine from Portugal’s Douro Valley is nothing new, and neither is wine from Quinta Nova (the winery was founded in 1764). What’s wonderfully weird and utterly interesting is the fact that this red is unoaked. There are plenty of unoaked reds from ’round the globe, but to find one from a region that’s best known for producing heavy, vanilla-and-jam-laden reds is a revelation. Make no mistake, this blend of traditional, indigenous varieties is no welter-weight; its concentrated without being cumbersome, long without being tiresome. This is an accessible Portuguese red you can enjoy more than one glass of without worry of busting your palate or gut.

Quinta Nova is run by the Amorim family (a name most closely associated with cork) who purchased it in 1999. Recently introduced to the US market, the estate produces a number of still and Port wines, but in our tasting this was the one that stood out. The grapes hail from the Cima Corga sub-region of the Douro Valley and the wine is a composite of Tinta Roriz, Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional and Tinto Cão. The wine undergoes an 8 day fermentation in stainless steel tanks and is bottled without filtration. Of course, it’s sealed with real Portuguese cork, but that’s about all the wood it sees. It’s somewhat of an anomaly for sure, but a tasty one at that.

Quinta Nova Colheita 2008
$22

For more information please contact 212-725-6516 or info@vinosite.com.

Let’s face it, the heat has been oppressive. There are numerous ways to combat the thick, humid mess that has been the weather of late. Air conditioning works (a good reason to visit the Vino). So does taking a dip in a pool or ocean. But why try to beat the heat, when you can celebrate it with a cool, refreshing libation. If ever a wine were invented for summer, it’d be Vinho Verde.

Always strong believers in drinking seasonally, we at Vino are proud to carry Broadbent Vinho Verde NV. At 9% ABV with a slight effervescence, this wine possesses all the hallmarks of a light-bodied white meant for simple enjoyment in the park or stoop-side sipping. It’s made from 50% Loureiro, 40% Trajadura and 10% Pedernã, but who can bother with all those fancy Portuguese grape varieties? The fact is people don’t drink Vinho Verde because it’s made from Loureiro, they drink it because it’s refreshing, clean, citrusy and crisp.

Of course there’s a lot of miserable Vinho Verde on the market. It’s gained a reputation as the stuff college kids in the know drink because it’s cheap, easy to pronounce, and one step up in quality from Two Buck Chuck. Luckily, not all Vinho Verde is created equal. Ours bears the name Broadbent, which has long been synonymous with quality wine. It’s refrigerated throughout production so as to preserve its delicate flavors, a far cry from how most other brands are produced.

What does all this mean? When the heat comes, you can “be prepared” (kind of like the Boy Scouts but with alcohol). Bring it, Summer! With Vinho Verde, we’re no longer afraid.

Broadbent Vinho Verde NV
$13

For more information please contact 212-725-6516 or info@vinosite.com.

OK, so this video perhaps didn’t have the same budget as “Thriller”, but it’s probably popular music’s first (and last) promotional clip to be centered around a couple of aging Portuguese gentlemen drinking in the afternoon…