Portal do Fidalgo Alvarinho – Delicate and Delightful

The Portal do Fidalgo Alvarinho, a wine that’s hard to put down once you discover its delights.

100% Alvarinho from Monção e Melgaço, Vinho Verde, Portugal. The wine does not spend any time in oak and has residual sugar of 5.2g/L.

This review is brought to you by Vinho Verde Wines.

The Portal do Fidalgo Alvarinho is available for as low as $11. Imported by LGL Importers, LLC. Sample submitted for review.

From the bottle:

The lovely sub-region of Monção e Melgaço in the northern part of Vinho Verde DOC in northwestern Portugal holds one of the most beautiful landscapes in the country. Gentle slopes embracing magnificent manor homes, surrounded by misty mornings and magical memories. Nine centuries of Portuguese history that brings us back to distant times of noble knights and beautiful princesses singing in enchanted gardens. The production of the Alvarinho grape variety has been brought to perfection in this small country of Monção. Alvarinho is considered the noblest Portuguese grape variety and is an outstanding white wine with intense aromas of citrus and tropical notes. Perfect balance and acidity, flavors of late summer and early fall, or early pears and late peaches. The kind of wine that one wants to keep drinking. The perfect accompaniment to all kinds of fish and shellfish, Portal do Fidalgo would also beautifully complement chicken, veal dishes or light cheeses.

12.5% Alcohol

Today we’re back with another delightful Vinho Verde pick! Unlike the last wine we featured, which was a blend of several different varieties, today’s wine is a single varietal Alvarinho. You can find out lots more about this variety in our Grapes of Vinho Verde article.

The 2013 Portal do Fidalgo Alvarinho begins with a pleasing aroma of apple, pear and citrus. It’s a bit shy when first opened but don’t let that stop you. In the mouth the wine is really delicate and delicious with plenty of tart green apple, pear and white peach. It also shows some nice minerality, good acidity and a creamy and soft mouthfeel that gives the wine lots of depth and character. It ends slightly sweet and quite long with lingering touches of lemon, pineapple and honey. Better and better with every sip, this is a wine that’s hard to put down once you discover its delights!

Looking for more of our favorite Vinho Verde picks? Find them all right here.

Ready to buy the Portal do Fidalgo Alvarinho? Check your local retailers.