Report from : Aveleda Through the Ages
06 Aug 2020- Details
- Category: On the Road with the Grape Guy
(July 6, 2020) … I would think, for the majority of us, Vinho Verde is not one of those wines you sit in the cellar and wait patiently for it to mature, we buy it, chill it, pop the cork (or unscrew the cap), pour it into the glass and drink up. During the “new normal” (for now) Zoom meeting and virtual tasting, the folks at Aveleda wanted to show that while Vinho Verde is one of those quintessential hot weather wines, if you do happen to lose one in the cellar, or want to “age” the wine you aren’t doing anything wrong.
Three wines were tasted during the hour and a half “meeting”, the oldest was 8 years old (2012) and the youngest was the current vintage wine (2019) all three were the Quinta da Aveleda Loueiro / Alvarinho blend … here are some notes about those wines:
2012 … nice lime and mineral note yet shows a little more weight in the mouth than one would expect from Vinho Verde; there is a certain creaminess that appears mid-palate that has flavours reminiscent of lanolin, yellow grapefruit and lemon – after about an hour in the glass the wine starts to really show its age, but before that it was the freshness that was truly inspiring and surprising. 
2015 … really pretty nose, but the palate does not reciprocate; floral notes with lanolin backing and a long finish – it needed an hour to blossom and become impressive, but it never got to the level of interest that the 2012 achieved. Still drinkable.
Since the 2019 is the current vintage and currently available here is the full tasting note – as I had published it a few weeks back:
Quinta da Aveleda 2019 Loureiro & Alvarinho Vinho Verde
$12.60 – Portugal – LCBO #89995 … (General List)
68% Loureiro and 32% Alvarinho, with 4 and a half months on lees … this Vinho Verde is bright and fresh and fruity and such a delight; we all need Vinho Verde like this in the summer. It has lovely freshness like green apple, lime and floral notes (and that’s just the nose); the palate and finish continue this “liveliness” and freshness and there’s a pith-like note to keep it all from pushing into the realm of sweet. Hello patio sipper. (*** ½+)
Conclusion:
A very interesting and eye-opening tasting … I don’t think I will be holding any Vinho Verde in my cellar for future use, but I’m glad to know that if one happens to get lost / misplaced or rolls under the couch for a number of years – when the bottle gets re-discovered it won’t immediately be destined to go down the drain – it will be worth a taste.
