Forget Green Beer, Drink Green Wine

DRINK This – Forget Green Beer, Drink Green Wine

Don’t be lured into drinking mysterious green-hued beer this St. Patty’s day (even the luck o’ the Irish won’t save you). Here on the verge of verdant spring on the coast, it’s the perfect time to reach for Vinho Verde {VEEN-yho Vaired}, literally ‘Green Wine’.

Though in the lush growing region in northern Portugal vines are omnipresent (growing on trees, up telephone poles and along fences, or anything that takes them above the ground), the green wines term also refers to the youth of the wine when consumed – generally in the year after vintage. Here, north of the Douro Valley and up to the Minho River’s border with Spain, Portugal’s largest wine region has been long seen solely as a warm, wet region producing cheap and cheerful, slightly fizzy wines. These terrific summer sippers still make up the bulk of our market here, but are far from what I experienced during my travels through Vinho Verde last year. I tasted dozens of serious dry wines of terroir from across 10 demarcated sub-regions, and from a diverse array of grapes. In fact, nearly half of production in Vinho Verde is from red grapes, with Vinhão proving the most successful, followed by Azal Tinto and Espadeiro. However, boa sorte finding these rustic red and rose wines on our market.

Whites, fortunately, are marginally easier to find, even with their limited reach. Light and lower in alcohol, the white wines vary considerably from the crisper, focused wines of northern Vinho Verde down through the riper styles of the south. Alvarinho rules the white grapes (especially from the northern subregion of Monção and Melgaço) through its fleshy white peach, apricot, floral, stony characteristics and bracing acidity. A versatile grape that reflects its soils soundly, it responds well to malolactic or barrel fermentation and maturation to yield wines of complexity and ability. I also fell in love with the floral, citrus, herbal spiced local white varieties of Loureiro, Trajadura, Arinto and Azal, each quite distinct and memorable.

Here are a few ‘green wines’ to consider to welcome St. Patty and spring, as well as a unique Irish whiskey that will warm you (and might induce visions of leprechauns).

Locavore

Terravista Vineyards
Fandango 2012
Okanagan Valley, BC
*$25 +252544

Try pouring this for someone blind if you want to confound and amaze. Albariño (the Spanish name for Alvarinho) and Verdejo? From Naramata in the Okanagan Valley? And a stunning one at that? Definitely fandango-worthy. This is the second vintage of this blend, singular in Canada, and it keeps getting better. Delicate orange blossom, whiffs of fresh herbs and greengage entice into a full and rich palate of herbal-kissed fruit: ripe white peach, peach fuzz, pear blossom, heavy honeydew and heady spice. This is a big, expansive wine (14% alcohol) with fervent intensity, but the juicy white grapefruit acidity keeps it feeling lively and balanced. 90 points.

Cellar Dweller

Quinta do Ameal
Minto Branco Escolha Vinho Verde 2011
Ponte de Lima, Vinho Verde, Portugal
$35  +309906

This wine is 100% Loureiro grape from the subregion of Ponte de Lima, which is named for the popular, picturesque town where Ameal is based. Here owner Pedro Araujo focuses on serious, long-lived wines, farmed organically and treated with respectful care, and specializes in the ancient and elegant Louriero grape. Labelling this Vinho Verde with the Minho appellation designation signifies that this isn’t the simple, fizzy Vinho Verde style prevalent to the region. Heady peach blossom, mandarin oil, anise and gentle oak on first approach, this wood-aged white has spent 6 months in new French oak hogshead barrels with regular lees-stirring (battonage) for additional creaminess and suppleness. Full and waxy on the palate, with lime pith, anise, citrus and mildly smoky, fragrant vanillan spice, finishing with tight lemon acidity. The wine undergoes minimal filtration, preserving much of the textured complexities. I recommend decanting this wine at least one hour before enjoying it, preferably with pheasant or grilled quail – or you can cellar this for another 2-4 years. 90 points.

Budgeteer

Gazela
Vinho Verde 2011
Vinho Verde, Portugal
$11 +141432

Refreshing and zesty, with a natural, slight touch of lively spritz on the palate, this light bodied blend has crisp citrus, mineral, green apple and a touch of sweet gooseberry and mild melon. A low alcohol content (9 percent) ups the quaffing quotient. Pair with a garden party – these colourful bottles can be prominently displayed as the artful centerpiece. 86 points.

Adventurer

Quinta das Touquinheiras
Alvarinho 2011
Monção and Melgaço, Vinho Verde, Portugal
$20  +765974

The adventure comes in trying to roll this winery off the tongue. That’s why the labels here read Toucas. This wine is made by a group of winemakers specializing in specific regions of Portugal named Wines & Winemakers by Saven, and one of Portugal’s leading winemakers, Anselmo Mendes, made this wine. Peach and orange blossom on first approach, with creamy lees, yellow apple and ripe pear, bold pineapple and an undercurrent of almonds throughout. 15 g/l of residual sugar is all but hidden in this bright wine, evident only in the round, textured mouthfeel. This has the body and heft to stand up to smoked seafood. 88 points.

No Wineos

Teeling Whiskey Company
Small Batch Whiskey
Ireland
$65 for 700ml  +872176

So what if the Irish want to take their time? After 231 years of whiskey distilling within the Teeling Family, the Teeling Whiskey Company launched a flagship premium Irish whiskey brand, Teeling Whiskey. It’s not like they’ve just been taste-testing for 2 centuries. The Teeling family established Cooley Distillery in 1987, the first Irish whiskey set up in Ireland for over 100 years at that date. However, Jack Teeling, founder of their namesake company, decided to carry forth the family name with Teeling Whiskey Company in an innovative, comtemporary way. Small batch Teeling Irish Whiskey is blended from selected casks of Grain and Malt whiskey which are further matured in ex-Flor de Cana Rum barrels. The sweet sultry waft on this extra smooth whiskey echo the barrels’ spirited past. Teeling Irish Whiskey is bottled at 46%, without chill filtration, adding to the sweet and smooth flavour profile.

DRINK This. Each week Treve highlights 5 timely and tasty picks. Her weekly choices include Locavore (BC wines), Cellar Dweller (wines to lay down for a while for maximum enjoyment), Budgeteer (wallet-friendly bottles under $15), Adventurer (wines for geeks, enlightening or pushing the envelope) and No Wineos (a non-wine pro-alcoholic beverage). So what are you waiting for? DRINK This!

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*Asterisks denote wines that are only available at the winery or select private liquor stores. All other wines are available through BC Liquor Stores. The price is suggested retail price, and may fluctuate depending on source. Wines are scored out of 100 points.