Alvarinho with Attitude - Wine & Spirits Magazine

Alvarinho with Attitude


Winemaker Luis Seabra (Photo courtesy of the winery)

Based in Portugal’s Douro region, Luis Seabra has branched out to the Dão and Vinho Verde. He searches out parcels of old vines, whether to buy fruit or to farm himself; in the granite soils of Monção e Melgaço, he found vines planted in 1989. Seabra lets this wine ferment spontaneously in large (1,000- and 2,000-liter) ovals of Eastern European oak. While he allows it to go through malolactic fermentation, the wine is still tightly structured. Sherry-like in its stony pallor, this has a green olive savor and a lot of mineral attitude. Nacho Monclús found it ready to impress a guest, “For a restaurant that wants to show off and talk about Vinho Verde.”

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Luis Seabra 2020 Vinho Verde Granito Cru Alvarinho

Every week, our editors highlight a wine that intrigued them in our blind panel tastings, expanding on their tasting note in this space. These are entirely editorial choices; there are no paid placements. Subscribers can also access the original tasting note by searching here.

Joshua Greene is the editor and publisher of Wine & Spirits magazine.


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