Variety: Loureiro; Alvarinho; Avesso
Region: Vinho Verde, Portugal
Cost: $12 (SRP)
Winemaker’s Notes: Yellow with green tones. The aroma is exuberant, fresh, and light, dominated by citrus fruits and tropical aromas. The flavor is dominated by its acidity, with good body, it has a lingering and refreshing finish.
My Review: I’m a sucker for any low alcohol, light bodied wine that’s easy to sip on. While these are especially valuable to me here in Raleigh, NC where the summers (and honestly a lot of the rest of the year) make these wines a matter of survival, they have a place in the cooler months as well; they’re a great way to pace yourself during the holidays (unless it’s time to skip to the hard stuff).
So, given the chance to sip on some Vinho Verde as the holidays approached, I jumped at the chance.
In the glass, the 2019 Bico Amarelo was a light yellow with slashes of green that were most visible when held up to some light. On the nose aromas of citrus fruit were most dominant for me. In the mouth the citrus continued, with flavors of orange blossom jumping out at me.
Unlike other Vinho Verde I’ve had in the past, there was no effervescence to this wine, which I felt gave the illusion of more body (it’s still a very light wine). The citrus and acid were well balanced, so while crisp, it didn’t make my teeth hurt (which is always appreciated).
My wife and I paired the wine with some carnitas tacos (we recently got a tortilla press and have been making even more tacos than usual); the citrus notes and hint of sweetness were a great balance to the spicier food, and a pairing that I highly recommend, and, at 11.5% alc/vol, it made for a great weeknight sipper.
For $12 I think this is a great value. We regularly try to keep some Vinho Verde in the house during the summer, and while our options are often limited, this gives us reason to go in search of some new options.
Editor’s Note: I received this bottle as a free sample for review.
