NV Broadbent Vinho Verde

NV Broadbent Vinho Verde

Wine Pick: Broadbent Vinho Verde — Smart In The Kitchen


Vintage: NV
Region: Minho, Portugal 
Winemaker: Michael Broadbent
Varietal: 50% Loureiro, 40% Trajudura, 10% Arinto
Price: $10 (Kroger)
Expert Rating: 88
My Rating: 89

The Review: As you may have noticed, I try to mix up the kinds of wines I write about. However, I absolutely refuse to write about a red wine when it is 99 degrees outside, so here we are with another refreshing white wine.

"Grown-up soda" is what people like to refer to Vinho Verde as. Traditionally, it is a super refreshing white wine from Northern Portugal made from grapes native to the area (Alvarinho aka Albariño, Loureiro, etc.). Oftentimes, there is a light fizz too (hence the soda reference). Because this area is pretty chilly, grapes are usually very high in acid and are released very young. This, combined with the fact that people don't really consider Portgual a big wine producer, means that prices are almost always incredibly cheap. You'll be hard-pressed to find one for more than $15. It's the ultimate summer wine! Cheap, lowish alcohol, usually a little fizz, not overly complicated, chuggable...

Today's wine is the Broadbent Vinho Verde. I can honestly say I got this one at Kroger without really intending to get it. I was looking for an outdoor drinking wine that I knew would be well received, so I ventured over to the Portugal section and luckily stumbled on this bottle. It presented tons of lemon and lime on the nose and showed undertones of melon. Although there wasn't any fizz in this particular wine, the acidity made it just as refreshing as its fizzy counterparts. A huge burst of tartness with lemon and lime again are prominent, as well as a note of what I decided was sour plum. This quickly faded into a cantaloupe finish that was quite short.

Like I mentioned- short, not complicated, chuggable. Sometimes you just have to have a wine like this. If you'd rather try one with a little fizz, I suggest the Gazela Vinho Verde ($8). Next time you have an outdoor hangout, pick up a bottle of this stuff.


drink what you like,

db

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