{"title":"Soalheiro","description":"\u003cp data-pm-slice=\"1 1 []\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eSoalheiro has spent more than four decades exploring just how good Portuguese Alvarinho can be. Based in Melgaço, near the Spanish border, it produces vibrant whites, textured wines built to age and sparkling Alvarinho.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIn 1974, João António Cerdeira and his family planted Melgaço’s first vineyard dedicated entirely to Alvarinho. Experiments in the family garage followed, with the car making way for barrels and the first Soalheiro released in 1982.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eMountains shelter Monção e Melgaço from the Atlantic, while warm days, cool nights and granite soils help deliver ripe flavour with bright acidity. That combination gives the wines their generosity and freshness.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eThe family’s vineyards have been certified organic since 2006, complemented by fruit from a community of local growers. Their small plots span different elevations and exposures, giving the team plenty of vineyard diversity to explore.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003eOld vines, mountain sites, barrel fermentation and extended ageing each reveal another side of the grape, making this one of the most exciting explorations of \u003cmeta charset=\"utf-8\"\u003eAlvarinho in Portugal.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"2024-soalheiro-allo-loureiro-alvarinho","title":"2024 Soalheiro Allo Loureiro Alvarinho","description":"\u003cp\u003eThis is the delicious and dangerously drinkable 'entry-level' Vinho Verde from the excellent Portugese producer Soalheiro, and boy is it great value!\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSoalheiro is the family that put Alvarinho from Melgaço on the map. João António Cerdeira planted his first vines in this cool northern corner of Portugal back in the 1970s and bottled the region's first Alvarinho brand in 1982. Today his son Luís makes the wines, and Soalheiro is still the name most people reach for when they think of top-shelf Vinho Verde.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAllo is the easygoing member of the family, a blend of Alvarinho and Loureiro, which is where the name comes from. Alvarinho brings the citrus, stone fruit and texture. Loureiro, the classic Vinho Verde grape, adds a lifted floral perfume. It's crisp and fragrant, with lemon, green apple and white flowers over a bright, mouthwatering finish.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eDrink it young and well chilled with grilled prawns, fish tacos or a big bowl of mussels. Terrific buying at the price.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Soalheiro","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68005850087467,"sku":"2024 Soalheiro Allo Loureiro Alvarinho","price":29.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2572\/9722\/files\/2024SoalheiroAlloLoureiroAlvarinho.png?v=1793316743"},{"product_id":"2024-soalheiro-classic-alvarinho-vinho-verde","title":"2024 Soalheiro Classic Alvarinho","description":"\u003cp\u003eSoalheiro was the first to bottle Alvarinho in Melgaço, back in 1982, and the Cerdeira family has been the name to know in Portugal's far north ever since. Their Classic is the wine that shows why. It's the benchmark for Monção e Melgaço, the warmer, sunnier corner of Vinho Verde right on the Minho River, across from Galicia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eForget the spritzy, cheap Vinho Verde you might've had on holiday. Granite soils and a bit of shelter from the Atlantic give this subregion riper, more serious, more textural Alvarinho. This is floral and bright on the nose, with citrus, white flowers and a green, almost leafy freshness. It's not thin or sharp, though, with real texture and a bit of density through the middle of the palate.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eTerrific Alvarinho here from the producer that put Melgaço on the map, at an excellent price.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e97 points \u0026amp; Best in Show Trophy\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"it was gratifying to see this benchmark example cruise its way back into this year’s selection... Instead it’s svelte and textured, with density to match the wine’s natural drive and freshness.\"\u003cbr\u003e- Decanter\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e","brand":"Soalheiro","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68005850251307,"sku":"2024 Soalheiro Classic Alvarinho","price":39.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2572\/9722\/files\/2024SoalheiroClassicAlvarinhoVinhoVerde.png?v=1793316726"},{"product_id":"2024-soalheiro-primeiras-vinhas-alvarinho","title":"2024 Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas Alvarinho","description":"\u003cp\u003eSoalheiro is the name that put Melgaço Alvarinho on the map, and Primeiras Vinhas is where it all started. The core of this wine comes from the family's very first vines, planted in 1974 by João António Cerdeira in Portugal's far north, right up against the Spanish border.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThese days the original plot is joined by old-vine parcels from Monção and Melgaço, tended by the growers in Soalheiro's Viticulturists Club. It's as much about keeping those old vines in the ground as it is about making a great wine. Mountains shelter the area from the Atlantic, so you get enough sun to ripen Alvarinho properly without losing the bright, salty edge.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2024 was hand-picked, gently whole-bunch pressed and fermented with wild yeasts, mostly in steel. Around 15% went into old barrels, a foudre and a big cask for texture. No malolactic, and plenty of time on lees with stirring. The result is crisp and taut: green apple and pear, a fresh fern note, a chalky dry finish and real salinity. Grilled sardines, prawns off the barbie or a plate of salt cod fritters would all suit it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's lovely now, but this is Alvarinho with the stuffing to age, and the producer reckons 8 to 15 years. Old vines, a serious pedigree and a big hit of refreshment - a benchmark here for the grape.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e94 points\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"This dials up the salinity, the tension, the mouth-watering freshness and rapier-like thrust of flavour... Fabulous wine, ultra refreshment factor.\"\u003cbr\u003e- Mike Bennie (The Wine Front)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e\n\u003cblockquote\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e94 points\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"I love the purity and crystalline character of this cuvée... It should develop nicely in bottle.\"\u003cbr\u003e- Luis Gutiérrez (The Wine Advocate)\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/blockquote\u003e","brand":"Soalheiro","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":68005851988011,"sku":"2024 Soalheiro Primeiras Vinhas Alvarinho","price":55.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2572\/9722\/files\/2024SoalheiroPrimeirasVinhasAlvarinho.png?v=1793316710"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/2572\/9722\/collections\/Soalheiro_Header.png?v=1793316459","url":"https:\/\/www.differentdrop.com\/collections\/soalheiro.oembed","provider":"Different Drop","version":"1.0","type":"link"}