Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s

The Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s is a $4.45 Trader Joe’s exclusive. Vinho Verde is a region in Northern Portugal and not a particular grape. These wines are typically inexpensive wines with bright acidity and bracing citrus flavors. They are also a little fizzy.

Vinho Verde wines were originally slightly carbonated because the winemakers bottled the wine so quickly that fermentation was not complete. The wine completed fermentation in the bottle; it little like how Champagne is made. Today, the wine gets its carbonation artificially.

That the wine was bottled so quickly and without aging tells you that these are young wines made to be consumed quickly. The sooner, the better, but within the first year after release should be fine. The Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s is a non-vintage wine, meaning that it is a blend of more than one vintage.

A young non-vintage wine makes it hard to to determine if the wine is fresh and new or has been sitting on a store shelf for a while. You need to trust the store to ensure the product is fresh.

A Vinho Verde wine can be Red or White, though White is more common and various local indigenous grapes are used. The Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s says that Espiral used a blend of local grapes to produce this wine. Inexpensive Vinho Verde is adult lemonade, bright, citrusy, low-alcohol wine that will go down easy on a hot summer’s day. The alcohol content is 9%.

Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s Tasting Notes

The color pale wheat yellow with light bubbles. The nose is light, mostly lemon, green apple, and melon, a touch of honey, and a floral finish. The Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s does have that adult lemonade feel, the flavors go deeper than the lemonade, but it is crisp and bright.

It tastes of lemons, green apple, a little peach and pear, and a light touch of spice. The carbonation or fizz is light, just enough to give the wine some sparkle. The acidity is a key component of the flavor profile and does its job well.

The Summary

• The Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s is far better than I expected a $4.45 wine could be.
• Vinho Verde is made to be an inexpensive, bright, citrus, palate-cleansing wine, and the Espiral Vinho Verde – Trader Joe’s checks off all the boxes.
• Vinho Verde is sometimes referred to as the “Green” wine, which is actually a translation mistake. Verde is green in Spanish, but in Portuguese means young or youthful.