Soalheiro Alvarinho
Producer: soalheiro
Soalheiro Alvarinho, the first single-variety Alvarinho bottled in Melgaço (1982 first vintage) from the Cerdeira estate. DOC Vinho Verde - Monção e Melgaço.
Price: EUR 16 to 22 at retail
Northwest Portugal's Atlantic wine country: nine sub-regions of granite slopes between the Douro and the Minho, Alvarinho on the border with Galicia, Loureiro down the Lima valley and a deep-coloured Vinhão red drunk from porcelain cups.
Drink your way through Vinho Verde
Map of Vinho Verde
Every vineyard, tasting room, wine bar and cellar we cover in Vinho Verde, pinned. Click a pin for the page.
Signature wines of Vinho Verde
The iconic bottles that define Vinho Verde.
Soalheiro Granit
Producer: soalheiro
Soalheiro Granit, a granite-soil expression of Alvarinho from the Cerdeira family's Melgaço parcels. DOC Vinho Verde - Monção e Melgaço.
Price: EUR 22 to 32 at retail
Soalheiro Espumante Bruto Nature
Producer: soalheiro
Soalheiro Espumante Bruto Nature, traditional-method Alvarinho sparkling from Melgaço, zero dosage. Espumante de Qualidade.
Price: EUR 22 to 32 at retail
Anselmo Mendes Muros de Melgaço
Producer: anselmo-mendes
Anselmo Mendes Muros de Melgaço, the reference barrel-fermented Alvarinho from the Quinta da Torre cellar in Monção. DOC Vinho Verde - Monção e Melgaço.
Price: EUR 32 to 48 at retail
Anselmo Mendes Curtimenta
Producer: anselmo-mendes
Anselmo Mendes Curtimenta, an extended-skin-contact orange Alvarinho from Melgaço. IGT Minho.
Price: EUR 22 to 32 at retail
Anselmo Mendes Time Bruto Nature
Producer: anselmo-mendes
Anselmo Mendes Time Bruto Nature, traditional-method Alvarinho sparkling with zero dosage. Espumante de Qualidade.
Price: EUR 18 to 26 at retail
Vineyards to know in Vinho Verde
A handful of the estates we send friends to when they are in Vinho Verde.
Soalheiro
Founded in 1982 by the Cerdeira family at Alvaredo, Soalheiro produced the first single-variety Alvarinho bottled in Melgaço and is the regional reference for the variety. The estate works granite-soil parcels and a dedicated organic Granit cuvée.
Signature: soalheiro-classico, soalheiro-granit, soalheiro-primeiras-vinhas, soalheiro-bruto-nature
Anselmo Mendes Vinhos
Anselmo Mendes built Quinta da Torre in Moreira as the modern Alvarinho reference, working from his 1998 first vintage through the Muros Antigos, Muros de Melgaço and skin-contact Curtimenta range that defines the contemporary style.
Signature: anselmo-mendes-muros-antigos-alvarinho, anselmo-mendes-muros-de-melgaco, anselmo-mendes-curtimenta, anselmo-mendes-contacto
Aphros Wine
Vasco Croft founded Aphros at Casa de Compostela in Refoios do Lima in 2003 and converted the estate to biodynamic farming under Demeter certification.
Signature: aphros-loureiro, aphros-vinhao, aphros-phaunus-loureiro-pet-nat, aphros-daphne-rose
Quinta da Aveleda
A Guedes-family estate at Penafiel that produces both the high-volume commercial Casal Garcia (launched 1939) and the premium Aveleda range, including the single-soil Solos de Granito. The historic garden estate is open to visitors.
Signature: aveleda-alvarinho, aveleda-solos-de-granito, aveleda-reserva-da-familia, casal-garcia-vinho-verde
Quinta do Ameal
An 18th-century manor estate at Refoios do Lima, acquired by Esporão Group in 2019 from founder Pedro Araújo. Built its reputation on age-worthy single-variety Loureiro and a small Arinto-led Escolha.
Signature: quinta-do-ameal-loureiro, quinta-do-ameal-escolha, quinta-do-ameal-bico-amarelo
Casa de Vila Verde
A historic manor estate at Sabariz in the Cávado sub-region, working Loureiro and Alvarinho across granite-soil parcels north of Braga. The premium Reserva is one of the regular cellar-door benchmarks for the Cávado.
Signature: casa-de-vila-verde-loureiro, casa-de-vila-verde-alvarinho, casa-de-vila-verde-reserva
Sub-appellations of Vinho Verde
Monção (Monção/Moncao)
Granary-town squares above the Minho, the riverside that Alvarinho calls home on the Portuguese side of the border.
Melgaço (Melgaço/Melgaco)
High granite slopes above the Minho gorge where Alvarinho was first taken seriously as a single-variety wine.
Ponte de Lima (Ponte de Lima)
Cobbled river-bridge town with Romanesque churches and the alameda where the Feiras Novas takes over every September.
Ponte da Barca (Ponte da Barca)
Quiet stone bridge over the upper Lima where the Vinho Verde country meets the national park.
Arcos de Valdevez (Arcos de Valdevez)
Espigueiro-dotted hillsides on the Vez river, where Vinho Verde country thins into mountain country.
Viana do Castelo (Viana do Castelo/Viana)
Funicular-served hill above an Atlantic harbour and the Santa Luzia basilica that watches over the Vinho Verde north.
Vinho Verde wine, FAQ
When is the best time to visit Vinho Verde for wine?
Peak wine-travel season in Vinho Verde is spring through autumn, with harvest the standout window.
Do I need an appointment to taste at Vinho Verde estates?
classified-growth and grand-cru estates require booking days to weeks ahead; smaller family domaines often take walk-ins midweek.
What hours do Vinho Verde cellars and tasting rooms keep?
most estates open 10:00 to 17:00 by appointment, often closed Sunday and Monday.
How does tipping work at Vinho Verde tastings?
tipping is not expected at tastings; buying a bottle from the cellar door is the customary thank-you.
What is the one wine to try in Vinho Verde?
If you only open one bottle, open Soalheiro Alvarinho by soalheiro. It is the wine most associated with Vinho Verde.