Style:

A precise and mineral-driven Alvarinho, combining freshness with structure and elegance. Focused and complex, with a pure and terroir-driven profile.

Vineyard:

Located in northern Portugal, sourced from vineyards planted on granite soils. These poor, well-drained soils enhance minerality and freshness, while preserving aromatic intensity and acidity.

Winery:

Hand-harvested grapes, whole-bunch pressed and fermented with native yeasts. Aged in neutral oak with lees contact to build texture and complexity while maintaining purity.

Nose/Palate:

Citrus, lime, white peach, floral notes, and mineral hints on the nose, followed by a medium-bodied palate with vibrant acidity, precise mineral-driven structure, citrus and stone fruit flavors, subtle texture, and a long, fresh, elegant finish.

Monção e Melgaço is the northernmost subregion of Vinho Verde and the historic home of Alvarinho. Located along the Minho River on the border with Spain, the region has a slightly warmer and more protected climate than much of Vinho Verde, allowing Alvarinho to reach full ripeness while retaining its naturally high acidity.

The vineyards are largely planted on granite soils, often on gently sloping sites, with the Atlantic influence bringing freshness and a distinctive mineral character. Alvarinho from the region typically shows lemon, lime, green apple, white peach and citrus blossom, with saline and stony notes becoming more pronounced in wines from higher-quality sites.

Compared with lighter, more delicate Vinho Verde from other subregions, Monção e Melgaço produces wines with greater concentration, texture and structure. The best examples combine ripe fruit with vibrant acidity and mineral precision, and can develop considerable complexity with bottle age.

The region is particularly interesting for producers working with old vines, spontaneous fermentation and low-intervention winemaking, which allow differences in granite, altitude and vineyard exposure to become more apparent.

Monção e Melgaço is the benchmark terroir for Portuguese Alvarinho — combining Atlantic freshness, granite-driven minerality, ripe citrus fruit and enough structure to produce serious, age-worthy white wines.

Alvarinho is one of Portugal’s most distinctive white grape varieties, traditionally associated with Monção e Melgaço in the northern Vinho Verde region. Here, the combination of Atlantic influence, granite soils and a relatively cool climate allows the grape to develop ripe fruit while retaining vibrant acidity and mineral freshness.

The wines typically show lemon, lime, green apple, white peach and citrus blossom, often with subtle herbal and saline notes. Compared with the lighter, more delicate styles of many Vinho Verde wines, Alvarinho generally has more body, texture and aromatic concentration, while its naturally high acidity keeps the wines precise and energetic.

On granite soils, Alvarinho can develop a particularly stony, mineral and focused character, with age bringing greater texture and complexity. It is equally compelling young for its freshness or after bottle ageing, when citrus and floral aromas can evolve towards honey, nuts and more savoury mineral notes.

Alvarinho combines Atlantic freshness with surprising depth and structure — a grape capable of producing both vibrant everyday whites and serious, age-worthy wines with a strong sense of terroir.