Alvarinho is a typical Portuguese white grape variety, one of the most notable and considered by many to be the best in Portugal.

At Quinta da Raza, the Alvarinho vines are "reborn" after the cold days of winter, around the second half of March. Budbreak, the name given to the beginning of the growth of the plant's buds, is open, very cottony and with a heavily carmine edge. When young, the leaves are yellow with tan spots, very revolute, cottony on the lower side and downy on the upper side.

Flowering takes place towards the end of May and although visually the flowers aren't very attractive, their scent transforms the vineyard and reminds us that it's spring.

The painter phase, the stage when ripening accelerates and the berries become translucent, usually occurs at the end of July/beginning of August, which reminds us that there is little time left until the harvest in September.

The Alvarinho grape variety is vigorous and not very sensitive to blossom end rot. It has a low yield because its berries and bunches are small and most of the space inside is taken up by the seeds. The skins of the berries contain most of the aromatic compounds and some of the structure that will be passed on to the wine. It has a high sugar content, which results in more alcoholic wines, and a strong acidity which makes it an ideal variety for more complex, long-aged wines.

Due to all these good characteristics of the Alvarinho grape variety, at Quinta da Raza we use this variety in some of our wines, namely in the QUINTA DA RAZA SELECTED HARVEST ALVARINHOin QUINTA DA RAZA GRANDE ESCOLHAa blend of Alvarinho with Trajadura and in QUINTA DA RAZA COLHEITA SELECIONADA DE AVESSO WITH ALVARINHO, three wines, with slightly different styles, that express the quality and plasticity of the grape variety, as evidenced by the three medals recently awarded at the Mundus Vini 2022 International Wine Competition. They were Gold for the wines Quinta da Raza Colheita Selecionada Alvarinho 2021 and Quinta da Raza Colheita Selecionada Avesso Alvarinho 2019 and Silver for Quinta da Raza Grande Escolha 2021.

Our Alvarinho wines are delicate and aromatic, but well-structured due to the skin maceration they undergo before fermentation. They have an aromatic profile with notes of great complexity and hints of orange blossom. The palate is fresh, with citrus and mineral notes and balanced acidity.

Because of all these characteristics, its pairing is compatible with a wide variety of recipes. Alvarinho goes perfectly with roasted or grilled fish, seafood with a strong flavor, oysters and Japanese cuisine.

Let yourself be carried away by the curiosity to discover or the desire to repeat and see all the excellent characteristics of our Alvarinhos.

Quinta da Raza is one of the best Quintas in the Vinho Verde region to taste Alvarinho according to WineTourism.com - WWW.WINETOURISM.COM/ALVARINHO/