The Future of Vinho Verde: Experts Discuss Trends, Traditions, Quality, Pride

It’s an honor to visit a wine region, taste distinctive wines, converse with winery owners and winemakers and indulge in impressive meals with new found friends…and live in the present. Frankly, I’m guilty of doing just that. Earlier this summer, a group of sommeliers and wine writers from the United States and Canada were invited to the Vinho Verde region of Portugal by the Comissão de Viticultura da Região dos Vinhos Verdes. We sipped, conversed and learned from a host of experts who were thrilled to tell their compelling stories and pour delicious wines. During private winery tours, exclusive tastings and bountiful wine and food pairings, each of us cherished these special moments.

With about 51,000 acres of vines, 45 indigenous grape varieties, 18,000 winegrowers, 93 million liters produced per year and 100 export markets, this region offers a range of palate-pleasing choices. White varieties account for 86% of the production and reds and rosés are about 14% in total. The most popular varieties found only in the Vinho Verde region are white grapes Alvarinho, Arinto, Avesso, Azal, Loureiro and Trajudura. Each offers differing levels of aromatics, acidity, fresh fruit notes and body. Red varieties include Espadeiro, Padeiro and Vinhão; these crisp, intense, and flavorful wines are delicious counterparts to so many traditional dishes. (Click here for more about Vinho Verde.)

 

Quite frankly, sharing my love for Vinho Verde, the region and the wines, through real-life conversation and writing has been an easy endeavor. But, I have my eye (and palate) on the future of Vinho Verde. The winemakers, export managers and winery owners I met are working diligently to increase international exposure. I’m now anticipating the “What’s next?” for this intriguing region. Will the style of wines change? What are savvy consumers looking for?

I decided to ask four experts who had graciously contributed to my previous article about Vinho Verde (click here for the link) for their opinions. Pedro Martins da Costa, Winemaker at Aveleda, Alexandre Gomes, Owner and Winemaker at A&D Wines, Jose Castro, Export and Marketing Manager at Vercoope and Nuno Grosso, Winemaker at Casa da Tojeira were kind enough to consider the future of their beloved region, Vinho Verde, and share their thoughts.

Will we see a “new style” of wines going forward in Vinho Verde?

Nuno Grosso, Casa da Tojeira: What has been seen in recent times is an image of what is happening in other regions: a slight tendency towards more environmentally “friendly” wines such as the biological or natural and more respect of terroirs and grapes. Some wines with oak or aged 2 or 3 years before being launched and a growing availability of sparkling wines is evident.

Alexandre Gomes, A&D Wines: Yes, of course! A fresh dry white wine, with new original flavors from exclusive grape varieties, with vibrant acidity, an elegant body and persistent mouth represent a new style. All of this and a wonderful potential for ageing! Great high-quality white wines!

Jose Castro, Vercoope: I think that more than “New Style” will be “One More Style.” Vinho Verde is a very rich region, with a great potential of wines with several styles. Until this moment, the world knows one style, “fresh, young, fruity, light”, and this and will continue to be the main style of Vinho Verde. This is the style that made it different from other wines and turned Vinho Verde into a category. These “New Styles” of Vinho Verde will not replace the style that is predominant. However, there will be a place for different styles of Vinho Verde; there is a very good future for the region and producers.

Pedro Costa, Aveleda: I believe there have always been many styles and interpretations of the region. I also believe this is a continuous and evolutionary process that will keep on happening as new ideas appear and the knowledge evolves.

Are consumers interested in indigenous varieties in your export markets?

Nuno Grosso: Undoubtedly, the indigenous varieties are an asset to all Portuguese winegrowing regions and are a very important quality differentiator to be able to impose on the markets.

Alexandre Gomes: Yes, very much so! We see consumers wanting to know everything about Avesso and all the particular characteristics of it.

Jose Castro: Yes, of course. As soon as the consumers know the country, region, and category of Vinho Verde Wines, they’re much more interested in indigenous grape varieties. In the Vinho Verde Region we’ve around 50 indigenous of grape varieties. In this very competitive and global world of the wine market, the indigenous grapes are vital for wine differentiation.

Pedro Costa: Definitely yes. That is one of our biggest assets, not only as a region but also as a country, and I think consumers value that.

Are you seeing any success in the region producing wines from non-indigenous varieties? Do you think offering international varieties will help Vinho Verde have a more secure place in the market?

Nuno Grosso: There is one or another producer with Sauvignon or other international grape varieties. Perhaps it’s a decoy to get into certain markets and then enter with the “real” Vinho Verde, but I do not think that is the sustained path of the future.

Alexandre Gomes: As you saw, we produce a very small amount of Sauvignon Blanc (0.65 hectares). These international grape varieties are spread throughout the world and the profile of Sauvignon wines vary immensely from region to region. In order to learn, our philosophy is to analyze value, not criticize without experimenting. Sauvignon Blanc is a well-known grape variety having a lot of fan consumers; learning its behavior in our region helps us perceive the similarities and differences to other places and better understand the potential of those international grapes in our region.  Autochthonous grape varieties (Avesso, Alvarinho, Arinto…)  are of course our main driver to achieve international recognition for the region in producing high grade white wines.

Jose Castro: When our region produces wines with international varieties like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay, the wines lose the DOC Vinho Verde designation and stay IGP Minho or Regional Minho. Even though it’s not the core business of Vinho Verde, it’s positive to offer new products and launch new wines with international grapes from our region. This shows the potential of the Region and touches other consumers and partners in a positive way.

Pedro Costa: Each producer has a different strategy and there is no right or wrong. Having said this, we believe in our indigenous varieties to provide wines with great quality and distinctive profile.

How do you see the future of Vinho Verde – with regards to new ownership, new grape growing techniques, experimenting with non-traditional varieties, new technology, and more?

Nuno Grosso: I believe that the future will always continue to pass for the indigenous varieties, attentive to new techniques, especially in the viticulture where the inevitable climate changes await us, so that we can continue to proclaim that Vinho Verde is a differentiated product. But there will always be technical experimentalism and perhaps the attempt to rediscover some varieties almost or even forgotten.

Alexandre Gomes: The Vinho Verde region has many different realities and each one has its own potential and adds value to the region. What is important is to be able not to place all Vinho Verde wines in the same basket.  There’s a place for big volume low priced fizzy and sweet wine, but there should also be a different place for higher level wines. We profoundly believe the region would create more value to the consumers and producers by making distinguished sub regions with different quality label certifications.

Jose Castro: I see the future as having new technology, new ownerships and new partnerships. I see new grape growing techniques and other grapes, not often used, will be used in Vinho Verde wines. However, the Origin will be the key!

Pedro Costa: I believe I have answered the above.

Are the wines from your own wineries embracing traditions as well as trends?

Nuno Grosso: The wines of Casa da Tojeira are characterized by having a more traditional and classic profile in the context of the region and viticulture. However, we do not neglect the new trends. An example of this is our red wine that partially ferments in oak. This wine differentiates us because we believe it to be a serious quality addition without understanding the image of Vinho Verde.

Alexandre Gomes: I must say I was born in the region and saw my grandfather making wines traditionally. They were made in the way we call “the pre-industrial process.” Grapes were collected by hand, destemmed, and pressed in a kind of vertical press with free running juice. Natural yeast fermentation was used. Then the region started restructuring the vines and the big volume production that resulted was a light, young and fresh wine that was fizzy and sweet and meant to be consumed the vintage year.

The new trend as we at A&D see it, is to return to origin, learn from our grandfathers and add value using new scientific knowledge and technology that doesn’t interfere with the natural fermentation process (gentle pneumatic pressing, temperature control in fermentation …). Making wine this way, by “respecting terroir” is, in our view, a simple process and yet the best way to “bottle our singularity” and consequently add value to the wines and the region.

Jose Castro: Our aim is to produce and put on the market Vinho Verde wines with a “Best Value for the Money.” It’s good to reach more consumers with a fair price. We also use new technology in the winery and new methods to produce better grapes and ultimately, better wine. The profile of the majority of our wines follow the traditional and classic blends and singular varieties. They are fresh, young, fruity, crispy and slightly pettilant. We follow new trends, too, like making wines with singular varieties of other grapes from Vinho Verde that before weren’t done. We’re doing sparkling Vinho Verde wines with the profile of freshness, fruity and very young. We’re the first producer to produce the sparkling of Vinho Verde with charmat method. Next year we’ll launch a Vinho Verde wine with oaked ageing.

Pedro Costa: I believe that the essence of the region remains the same, but those of us in the region have managed to follow the main trends. As an example, we have Rosé or Sparkling wines. This is a mix of the innovative character of some producers, but also the open mindedness of the Vinho Verde Commission, which has allowed the producers to explore different ways, within the DOC.

Each of you is proud to be part of the Vinho Verde region. What are your final thoughts?

Nuno Grosso: Remember that Vinho Verde offers the idea of being a different wine. Within the region we can find so many factors of variability, with an irreplicable style, as opposed to other winegrowing regions, with our grape varieties, with fresh wines capable of being consumed only in a simple and uncompromising conviviality but also other more complex and structured that can accompany all kinds of gastronomy. I think the wines of Vinho Verde will always be a differentiating image factor and of increased quality. As we say: “we are here, proudly planted in this corner by the sea.”

Alexandre Gomes: Don’t look at Vinho Verde only as the stereotype of cheap and young wine for summer. Discover the other side of high quality Vinho Verde and allow yourself to be surprised!

Jose Castro: I’m very proud to be in a very different wine region inside of a very different wine country that has a variety of grapes, terroir and diversification. I’m proud to be in a region that regardless of its origins, tradition and land, is also very modern, pays attention to the market and to the new trends and works every day to expand and find new consumers. I’m proud to be in a region where the Vinho Verde wine is a motivation to avoid the de-certification of the inland side of Portugal. I’m proud to be in a region that is consistently turning its product into a strong category in the wine business.

Pedro Costa: Thank you for this question! Vinho Verde is a region that has evolved a lot in the past couple of decades to a very good level of quality. The next few years will be thrilling, as many projects being put in place are expected to provide the consumer with really surprising wines. We’re taking the region to a next step.

Cheers! ~ Cindy