97 Points - Decanter Best in Show 2025

‘Green’ is often an insult in winemaking terms, but in Portugal’s granite-soiled Vinho Verde (‘green wine’) region, it’s a prerequisite. The joy of Alvarinho, of course, is that it adds an extra aromatic note of floral charm here [...] so your journey into the wine is as much journey into flower garden as it is forest glade. The palate is impressive: there’s nothing slender or shivering about it, nor does it rely on sweet tweaks. Instead it’s svelte and textured, with density to match the wine’s natural drive and freshness. Its 12.5% is low enough to make it a white to drink, not to sip ... with or without food: this wine would make both a quenching aperitif and a perfect summer-salad white.