Everything was better before! It's a good thing that this statement isn't always true... especially when it comes to Vinho Verde. It used to be known as a lemonade-like wine with barely 10% alcohol and a lot of carbonation. Fortunately, things are different today, because the new generation of winegrowers aspires to measure themselves with their product against the “crème de la crème” of the globalized wine world... and: they succeed!
On our first holiday in Madeira, my wife and I discovered Sonía Vaz Osorío's 2009 Vinho Verde when we happened to be having dinner at a small fish restaurant. Of course, the fish was also excellent, but we were particularly impressed by the wine. We liked it so much that from now on we went to eat there almost every day to drink another bottle of this wonderfully refreshing wine...
The fish restaurant was so secluded...
Our first bottle of Vinho Verde Quinta de Teamonde
Back in Berlin, I really wanted to add the wine to our range and bought a range of the 2009 vintage to offer as a special for the asparagus season. In the beginning, it wasn't easy to convince our customers to buy a Portuguese wine from a Frenchman. And then also a Vinho Verde (see clichés above)! However, this exotic developed into a real bestseller. Many customers bought it straight away by the box.
When the palette was sold out, I decided against ordering a new one immediately. But months later, many customers were still asking about it...
Stockfish drying in the sun in Madeira
3 years later we were back in Madeira, this time with the whole family, as "Maître Phiippe & filles", so to speak. Of course we also made the pilgrimage to the small fish restaurant this time. Lo and behold, they still had the Vinho Verde from Quinta de Teamonde on the menu and again we were thrilled. The wine had to come back! The only problem was: The current vintage was already sold out! Of course we didn't let that discourage us, after all we now had a goal.
Sonia's husband Alexandro, Maître Philippe, Philippe's wife Evelyne, Sonia Vaz Osorío
And it worked! We now know the winemaker Sonia Vaz-Osorío personally and have already visited her at her winery. However, the term "winery" is a gross exaggeration, as Sonia farms just 2 hectares, which she affectionately refers to as her Bonsaï winery And only if the weather cooperates, as Quinta de Teamonde is located in the Vale de Cambra (fertile valley) at the southern tip of the Norte region in the north of the country, between the Douro and Minho rivers, from this very humid region , where it often rains, about 25% of Portuguese wines come from.
At the Quinta, Sonía does everything herself because she is a control freak, but in a positive sense: She simply wants to be 100% sure that everything is going the way she wants it to. She gained her oenological knowledge, among other things, by studying oenology with the "Pope of White Wines" Professor Denis Dubourdieu in Bordeaux.
The new Vinho Verde 2013
"And how is the wine" you ask yourself? We chose the 2013 because it is much more harmonious than the 2014 vintage. It is made from three autochthonous grape varieties: 65% Loureiro, 20% Arinto and 15% Trajadura and has an alcohol content of 12%.
It is crisp and fresh, clean and transparent with beautiful green reflections. On the nose it shows floral and fruity notes, for example passion flower and apricots, and it delights in the mouth with its finely integrated acidity and wonderful freshness. Long and mineral in the finish. A very harmonious, round and beautifully refreshing summer wine.
It is best enjoyed very well chilled (no warmer than 10°C), for example with asparagus and other spring-fresh dishes.
The bottle for €7.95, the box of 6 for €45
