At the beginning of May, I brought home my 10 liter box of Domaine Roger Perrin rosé and introduced it to its new home on the top shelf of my refrigerator. Then I had a housewarming party for it and drank two bottle's worth of it. It's kind of a rite of summer to have more than a case's worth of Rhone rosé available, crisp and cold, ready for drinking anytime. So when two weeks had passed and I was having to tilt the box to fill my wine glass, I got a little concerned. What if the ultimate summer treat never even made it to summer, much less June? I don't know if it'll still be around another three weeks, but I've tried to diversify my drinking a little more as part of my Rosé Conservation Program.

When my girlfriend and I got back from a long bike ride and needed a wine to drink on the fire escape, rather than dipping into the rosé reserve, I cracked open a bottle of Muralhas de Monção Vinho Verde. Vinho verde is another one of those wines that go so well with spring and summer because it is light and crisp and usually slightly sparkling (and cheap!). Much of the vinho verde from the Monção subregion, where this one is from, has a higher amount of alvarinho in the mix, is typically a little higher in alcohol and has more body. (I've talked about my love of alvarinho (known in Spain as albariño) before. But because prices for European wines have been jumping higher, it has been hard to find a reasonably-priced bottle to carry in the store for some time.) I had heard reports that other people had really enjoyed this wine, but my palate had been concerned exclusively with rosé for weeks and I wondered if I'd be interested in anything else.

I stuck my allergy-addled nose into the glass and instantly picked out those great alvarinho notes that I enjoy: beautiful creamy jasmine notes and a little almond nuttiness. I didn't expect those notes to be so present, so I couldn't wait to get the wine on my palate. The creamy texture of the alvarinho combined with that vinho verde bubbliness is exquisite. It is both very refreshing and very satisfying at the same time. I love my rosé, don't get me wrong. But for this moment, watching the clouds get colored by the sunset, feeling a spring breeze and sipping this wine, I realized that this vinho verde was exactly what I wanted right then. At only $11.95, it's possible that my rosé could last a while longer... maybe.

This vinho verde would go really well with shellfish and other seafood dishes and salads. For a more typical style of vinho verde, you could also try the C. Mendes Vinho Verde, which is only $7.95.

Muralhas de Monção Vinho Verde, Portugal | $11.95
C. Mendes Vinho Verde, Portugal | $7.95
Domaine Roger Perrin Rosé, France | $91.95

Labels: albarino, portugal, rose, whites