ALVARINHO (grape variety) The Alvarinho is the king of the north. Originating from Monção and Melgaço – the granite-rich, verdant border region with Galicia – it has been on a triumphant march across the whole of Portugal since the turn of the millennium. This top-quality grape from Vinho Verde can now also be found at the Douro, along the coastal strips near Lisbon and even in the Algarve. Whilst Alvarinho is susceptible to drought, it is highly heat-resistant – and its quality remains unrivalled.
When it comes to complexity and ageing potential, few white wine grapes in the world can hold a candle to Alvarinho. Its aromas range from fresh citrus and light stone fruit notes to passion fruit and papaya. Slightly nutty, beguilingly floral or smoky, Alvarinho has many facets; yet, for all its elegance and freshness, it usually comes across as somewhat fuller-bodied, with lively hints of bitterness. Even when aged solely in stainless steel tanks, these single-varietal wines can easily withstand a good ten years’ cellaring and become even more harmonious with age. Oak ageing also suits Alvarinho well, making it the perfect white wine for autumn.
Among our Spanish neighbours, the grape is known as Albariño, with a slight shift in the consonants. Incidentally, rumours of a kinship with Riesling – after all, Alvarinho translates as ‘the little white from the Rhine’ – have been disproved by laboratory analyses.