Espiral Vinho Verde

I'm not too familiar with Portuguese wines so this bottle, a hostess gift, has been sitting in our basement "cellar" for a few months. We just didn't know what to do with it. Last week I planned a menu of Mojito Salmon and Quinoa and remembered to put a wine in the fridge early enough for it to chill properly. Looking over my choices I figured that my menu and Portugal had enough commonalities that it was worth a shot. (Not very sophisticated wine pairing, I admit, but sometimes you just have to take a stab in the dark.)

I opened the bottle and heard a little pop. Hmm. That was not what I was expecting. Was that supposed to happen or did the wine go bad? This is one of those moments when I'm faced with just how little I know about the wine world. It sure is a lot of fun but sometimes it makes me feel like a simpleton.

Turns out the pop was supposed to be there. Vinho Verde is native to the Minho region in Northern Portugal. The wines are fresh and vibrant and are meant to be drunk within the year. The name means "green wine" which refers to character rather than color. They are lightly sparkling, but not quite enough to qualify for the official semi-sparkling label. They also have a naturally low alcohol content.

Stan and I found Espiral to be bright and brassy. It had tropical fruit tones, focusing on passion fruit. The fruits matched nicely with the mint and lime in the salmon and the effervescence added another layer of enjoyment to the occasion. It was a small moment of summer in the midst of our snow-covered landscape. We'll likely be enjoying this wine again when the heat hits us. Espiral can be found at your local Trader Joe's for an obnoxiously low price. For the record, the Quinoa and Mojito Salmon came from there too so you can replicate the whole experience if you like. The mojito part of the meal was not quite as advertised - tasty but not very mojito - so next time we'll probably have Mojito ingredients on hand for after dinner. When the wine is so light on the alcohol, it leaves room for that extra minty splurge.