Discover the Vinho Verde Region - The best wine tour for Summer

Vinho Verde is one of the most famous Portuguese wines. With growing popularity abroad, for both Portugal and Vinho Verde, why not tick both from the bucket list, tasting the Vinho Verde precisely at the Vinho Verde vineyards. 

Where is the Vinho Verde Region?

The Vinho Verde Region locates in northwestern Portugal. 

It starts just below the Portuguese-Spanish border and stretches all the way to the city of Porto and the Atlantic Ocean.

This region is fairly wet and rainy and receives the full brunt of maritime influence. As an opposite to the Douro region, protected from the sea by the hills and stays hot and dry. This difference influences wines greatly and those from Vinho Verde Region are supposed to be the first wines to be exported to England back in the day, prior to Port Wine. Although this is another story.

What is Vinho Verde?

The name Vinho Verde means literally: green wine. This designation suggesting not the color, but that it is consumed in the first few years of its life. In fact, the category does not discriminate by color, comprises red and rosé wines too. Although the whites have come to dominate the Vinho Verde production. About 80% of the production in the Vinho Verde region are whites. 

The star of the region is the variety Alvarinho. However, there are several other grape varieties, all different from each other. The Vinho Verde wine region celebrated 110 years of wine region demarcation in 2018.

What do Vinho Verde tastes like?

If you are aiming for a refreshing and light beverage, Vinho Verde is without a doubt an extraordinary white wine that seems to captivate every wine lover especially in the hot summer days to come.

Do you like Albariño, Riesling or Pinot Gris/Grigio?

The wines are usually light, crisp, and have a slight fizz, owning their unique traits to the features of the terroir. Portugal’s Vinho Verde has garnered a solid reputation across borders. Exports account for over 50% of Vinho Verde sales and one-fifth of that goes straight to the US market. 

In this guide, we tell you all about the best wineries to taste the best summer wine, Vinho Verde.

This tour might take you to visit the best wineries in the Vinho Verde Region. Let's get to know them:

Quinta da Aveleda

Only about a 1-hour drive, you will find Quinta da Aveleda, the largest Vinho Verde exporting company, and one of the best wineries in the region. The history of this wine estate is lost in time, but there are countless records of it after the 16th century. The first bottled wine sale records date back to 1870. Aside from its important architectural heritage, the Quinta da Aveleda estate is also known for its gardens, where rare species of trees flourish, some of which have been around for over two hundred years. There are several wine experiences available.

 Including guided tours with a tasting of three wines from different wine regions (Vinho Verde, Douro, and Bairrada), harmonized with cheese, dry fruits, and chocolate.

The guided tour to the bottling area, gardens, old winery, and tasting room, with Alvarinho wine and cheese tasting, and the option to have lunch at the estate perfectly paired with their own and unique wines.

Quinta do Ameal Wine & Tourism Terroir

Further down South, about an hour's drive from Quinta de Soalheiro, you will find Quinta do Ameal Wine & Tourism Terroir, a vineyard and boutique hotel where you will be able to taste the famous Quinta do Ameal wines. Here you can visit the cellar with a short explanation of the vinification, aging, bottling, and labeling process and learn more about the production of the organic grapes. The tour ends with a commented wine tasting, accompanied by light appetizers in the tasting room with a view to the vineyard, or in the garden (arbor) if the weather is inviting.

Quinta de Santa Cristina

Another 1-hour drive southeastwards and you will find Quinta de Santa Cristina. Here you can enjoy a wide variety of wine activities, from the most traditional ones such as wine tastings and visits to the winery and vineyard to most different ones like a tour in the vineyards in a segway or in a 4WD. In between, you can also lay your blanket on the ground and have a picnic in the vineyard or have lunch in the estate. Here the options are immense for wine and nature lovers. Have a look at Quinta de Santa Cristina wine tours, they also offer several options that take you through some of the best Vinhos Verdes of the region.

If you're in the area, take some time to explore it further. The Vinho Verde Region tends to fall under the radar, and that’s why so many love it. Even if you don't have much time to spend you can still take a day tour from Porto and visit a couple of wineries in the region, as well as some of the most important cities, such as Braga or Guimarães.

If you have a few more days, then it is definitely worth a closer look and some of your time. Take a look at our 3-day tour in the region which allows you to explore this wine region all the way to the northern Spanish border.

Quinta de Soalheiro

Your tour to the Vinho Verde region won’t be complete without a visit to the Quinta de Soalheiro, located in Melgaço, in the extreme north of Portugal, near Spain. It was a pioneer in the creation of the Alvarinho wine in Melgaço and an international reference for the wines of this grape variety. 

There are many wine tasting tours at Quinta do Soalheiro, all of them include a tour to the vineyard and winery but the tastings can go from standard tastings to Premium or Sparkling wines.
Definitely one of the best wineries in the Vinho Verde region with great tasting experiences. 

You can tick off exclusive experiences out of your bucket list in the space of one trip by booking with us. You'll work with one dedicated consultant, who will design the best tour according to your requests. Only the best wineries and wine experiences in Vinho Verde Region.