INSIDER'S PICK: 2022 PORTUGAL BOUTIQUE WINERY LDA VINHO VERDE LOUREIRO 'GORRO' $24.99

Most people don't think about drinking high quality Loureiro. Most people don't think about the Loureiro grape ever, if we're honest. It's history in Portugal has largely been as a blending partner to make the classic Vinho Verde wine with the slight bit of fizz, rarely ever featured on its own with the name on the label. In recent decades there has been an increased movement to push the quality levels in wines across Portugal and elevate the reputation of the regions across the country, something the Portugal Boutique Winery project has taken to heart. Billing themselves as a 'micro-cooperative', they explore the country so source authentic older vineyards that feature native varietals, with the ideal of making the best exprssion of th grape possible. Sourced from two sites (one with schist and clay soils, the other with gravel) within a few miles of the ocean, the first aroma is intensely coastal with a mix of fresh lime and salty sea spray, with a hint of white citrus and flowers at the end. The palate is quenching with juicy lime and sour apple, oddly both mouthfilling AND light on its feet at the same time, finishing tart with another hint of the salinity. It's very much a Portuguese version of Muscadet from France, not just in the style and being extremely seafood friendly, but that they were both areas and varietals that nobody thought were worth the effort to make a 'better' wine than the ordinary. Until someone did.

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