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What pairs well with green wine?

Green wine (Vinho Verde) is basically an inexpensive young wine.

Vinho Verde (literally 'green wine') refers to Portuguese wine that originated in the historic Minho province in the far north of the country. The modern-day 'Vinho Verde' region, originally designated in 1908, includes the old Minho province plus adjacent areas to the south. In 1976, the old province was dissolved.

Vinho Verde is not a grape variety, it is a DOC for the production of wine. The name means "green wine," but translates as "young wine", with wine being released three to six months after the grapes are harvested. They may be red, white, or rosé, and they are usually consumed soon after bottling. A Vinho Verde can also be a sparkling, a Late Harvest or even Brandy. In its early years of production, the slight effervesce of the wine came from malolactic fermentation taking place in the bottle. In winemaking this is usually considered a wine fault but Vinho Verde producers found that consumers liked the slightly fizzy nature. However, the wines had to be packaged in opaque bottles to hide the unseemly turbidity and sediment that the "in-bottle MLF" produced. Today, most Vinho Verde producers no longer follow this practice with the slight sparkle being added by artificial carbonation.

Vinho Verde Is meant to be drunk young, traditionally at least. Don’t put this in your cellar expecting it to improve, just drink it. Knowing that it’s meant to be drunk straight away, some manufacturers don’t even bother putting the vintage date on the bottle.

It is not actually green in colour. Green does not mean that the wine is actually green. If you were worried that you were going to have to drink something the colour of pond water, that probably comes as a relief. Or, maybe it comes as a disappointment. It wasn’t that long ago that orange wine was all the rage, so it wouldn’t be surprising if people were keen to try something that looked like it had been made by Gatorade.

As such I would like to know what pairs well with this type of wine?

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  • Considering that the idea of food pairing tends to center around the character of individual wines (and that much of that character comes from the maturing process,) this question sort of misses the point of that concept... you might equate it to asking a question about food pairing with beer - only that the beer being paired is budweiser or some other form of american piss
    – Tim Burnett - Bassist
    Commented Sep 7, 2021 at 11:58
  • Cool vinho verde pairs well with summer heat.
    – Altbier is not Old Beer
    Commented Apr 8, 2022 at 11:03

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Obviously this is a matter of opinion, but I shall try and answer anyway.

Personally, I got to know Vinho Verde from spending a lot of time in Portugal on holiday. It's a perfect wine for sunny weather and sipping by the poolside as it tends to be relatively low alcohol. I have only ever tried white (which actually does have a slight greenish tinge to it).

In terms of food, I associate it with light lunches of salad or fresh sea-food. Sardines are very popular in Portugal and make a great accompaniment.

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Having had several different types of Vinho Verde from many producers, as a general consensus, it compliments spicy foods(Thai), sushi and seafood. I don't see any reason why one wouldn't enjoy it with a salad or dessert even. My most favorite is a Vinho/Vodka cocktail. Vinho Verde(sparkling), a light tasting vodka, and lime. YUM!!!

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