Vinho Verde

Broadbent

Variety: Vinho Verde

Region: Vinho Verde, Portugal

Year: Unknown

Price: 10.00

I am a Vinho Verde convert. Like a gypsy falling in love with a home, if you've never tried this wine, hold onto your heart. A Portuguese friend whose semi-newfound love of cheese and wine rivals mine was stunned to hear that I had never tried this regional delicacy.

So he took me on an adventure. And oh, how it was full of whimsy.

Why is entering into the wine aisles of a store like being transported into never-never land? I'll tell you why: because all those unopened bottles are little experiences waiting to be born. Pop a cork and something special will happen, but it's unnameable and unknowable to all but the experience-user. For instance, maybe that wine will get you through another boring Wednesday night with Game of Thrones (<3), maybe it will help you to remember, or to forget that one time when..., maybe even, it will be the first wine you share with your future mate. How the hell should I know? You just have to drink and see. And the best part is that the wine is not an isolated variable! The whole experience is conditional. Picking one wine over another will engage your senses in a way that the bottle one shelf over just wouldn't touch. The wine you pick is, in an abstract and dramatic sense, determining the absolute outcome of your life. #smalldecisionsmatter

So back to the wine aisle: Strangely enough, this wine can't be found at many generic grocery stores, and I'm not quite sure why (maybe it's because Vinho's are often refrigerated during shipping?). We went to a few stores in search of the elixir and finally found it at our local Gucci Kroger (as opposed to the Ghetto Kroger on our side of the tracks: no frills, no fun, no samples, sushi or cheese bar). Even there, there was only a small selection of Vinho's. And so I of course picked this particular bottle because of the Andy Warhol-esque poppy on the front. Classic. 

We practically frolicked the whole way home singing songs of the spoils to be had, and oh, that sweet booty to be consumed. But you just want to know what it tasted like: Similar to some sweet Reislings, it tastes like an appletini party in your mouth, but with the addition of crisp and spritzy bubbles! Drink to much and you might float away... flit, flit. So. Many. Bubbles! Less than a champagne surely, but it makes the wine experience that much more exciting. The over arching words were crisp, fresh, dainty and light. I was so happy. We paired it with tart green apples with a sharp cheddar melted over it. Oh Lord there are no words. The cheese softened the crispness of the wine, but the apple brought out all the juicy tutti-fruity flavors. Hell yeah, I said tutti-frutti. What's up world.

I bought an experience. And it was worth it. So gypsy's... get ready to fall in love ;)