THE PERFECT VINHO VERDE

As a style Vinho Verde is all over the place. Which means if you tasted some of the shockers we have as your first experience, you'd never try the stuff again.
On the other hand, if you were lucky enough to grab this, you may just have found your all time favourite white. This is all about sheer dazzling drinkability. It's a crisp dry white in perfect balance. Just grab a bottle because I reckon this defines the style at a ridiculously affordable price.


SELECCAO de ENOFILAS 2016 VINHO VERDE
GRAPE VARIETIES: Albarino
REGION: Vinho Verde, Portugal
A/V: 12.5% 
PRICE: 3.99 euro 
FROM: Intermarche, Portugal
RATING: 5/5 from me 

Sainsbury's Winemaker's Selection Alvorada Vinho Verde

This is a perfectly pleasant little drink and scores a bit higher with the price. It's dry, won't offend but just lacks the crucial zing. No spritzig either.
Alcohol is a lunchtime appropriate 9% and I can't find a vintage anywhere.
The Vinho Verde hunt continues!

3.5/5 rating from me 
£3.75 from Sainsbury's while the 25% off sale is on [regular £5]  

Pure dazzling fun in a bottle

On one hand this is a simple, straightforward example of how Vinho Verde should be. Crisp, dry, clean fruit and a dash of tongue tingling spritzig. On the other it's a benchmark showing how dangerously drinkable this stuff can be at such an affordable price. Fortunately it's only 9% a/v and that's part of its charm. Perfect for a lunchtime quaff. Very highly recommended as an introduction to the vinho verde style.


Sainsbury's Winemakers' Selection Vinho Verde
Probably 2016
5/5 rating from me 
£5.00  from Sainsbury's

Shopping Treats in the Azores

For me one of the treats of travelling is wandering around local supermarkets. Forget the centre aisles where all the processed rubbish is. I'm talking about the fresh food. The vegies, the meat, the seafood and of course the booze. Plus it's always fun deciphering the deals.

 
We found an outstanding one in Horta about halfway between the port and the hospital where we picked up this beauty. We wanted 2016 and we wanted something we'd never tasted before. This is a dazzling dry white at the quality end of vinho verde.

TORRE DE MENAGEM 2016 TRAJADURA/ ALVARINHO
5/5 rating from me   6.5 euro