Green with envy?
You should be! I first discovered vinho verde when I went to Lisboa (Lisbon) Portugal over a year ago. My first instinct was that I was a tourist being taken for a ride. Clearly, I thought, there were only two types of wine: red and white. Well, that was only kind of true...
Vinho verde, or "green wine," is a Portuguese variety of white wine. There is only one section in the northwest of the country that produces this type of wine, but despite the limited production space doesn't necessarily mean a higher price. Some of the best bottles only cost around $8, and trust me, it's worth the extra $5 over a bottle of Trader Joe's wine. One of the best parts is that - while it's not champagne - it's naturally effervescent. How cool is that? This is probably one of the reasons why I love to drink it with dessert or on a hot day (good luck finding one of those anytime soon!)
The woman at Union Square Wines was really helpful in picking out a bottle. While most varieties are really good, some can be a tad tart. Personally, I think that's just the price you pay for a cheaper bottle of wine... The one I bought was Ouro Verde, or "green gold." It's just that. At $7/bottle, I'm seriously considering always keeping a bottle on hand, especially considering how much seafood I eat! (Another great food pairing, by the way.) This bottle also kept its fizz after two days in the fridge. I wouldn't test it much longer than that though. I took a taste after 5 days, and it was not an enjoyable experience. Just make sure that if you're going to open a bottle, you have a friend and some good conversation to help you finish off the bottle!
Ciao Bella!
Matteo "Very-Verde" Yazge
No comments:
Post a Comment