Broadbent Vinho Verde NV, Vinho Verde, Portugal
Spritzy and bright, this emphasizes the lemon-lime flavors of trajadura over the melon richness of loureiro. It’s clean refreshment to chill for summer. —Wine & Spirits, August, 2017
PORTUGUESE FOR ‘CHEAP AND CHEERFUL’
Clean and balanced with pleasant texture and lively citrus flavors.
—Eric Asimov, The New York Times, June 27, 2013
STAR BUYS OF THE WEEK
—Jane MacQuitty, The London Times, August 2015
Vinho Verde is traditionally non-vintage and consumed quickly, so the wine on the shelf will always be a fresh bottling. The way to make a proper Vinho Verde is to suppress the malolactic fermentation and inject carbon dioxide at bottling to give the wine its characteristic spritz.
The wine is produced at Quinta de Azevedo in the Barcelos commune—the top quality area for Vinho Verde production. Pneumatic presses are used for gentle pressing to extract free run juice. A slow fermentation takes place under controlled temperatures of 61°F (16°C), to protect the character of the Loureiro grape. Broadbent uses a special yeast (QA21) which gives a special character to the wine. This yeast was developed in their vineyards, and is now used all over the world.