📍 Monção e Melgaço
The best-known subzone, home of Alvarinho.
Monção e Melgaço is the best-known Vinho Verde subregion and the home of Alvarinho. It is the only Vinho Verde subregion sheltered from direct Atlantic influence, so it is warmer and less humid than neighbouring Rías Baixas. Granite dominates the soils, with alluvial deposits along the river valleys and some pebble strips.
The subregion has roughly 1,700 to 1,800 hectares of vines, with about 1,340 to over 1,500 ha of Alvarinho. Soalheiro, founded in 1974 in Melgaço, is often credited as the first to plant Alvarinho here. Palácio da Brejoeira is an 18th-century estate in Monção with about 18 hectares of Alvarinho.
Monção e Melgaço is a protected designation of origin (PDO) within Vinho Verde.
How it connects to Wine
📍 Monção e Melgaço ← grows in ← 🍇 Albariño → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 📍 Vinho Verde
- Grapes
- 🍇 Albariño
Frequently asked questions
Is Monção e Melgaço warmer than Rías Baixas?
Yes: it is sheltered from direct Atlantic influence, so it is warmer and less humid.
Who first planted Alvarinho there?
Soalheiro, founded in 1974, is often credited.
What is Palácio da Brejoeira?
An 18th-century estate in Monção with about 18 hectares of Alvarinho.
Similar
Sources
- IVV – Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho
- eAmbrosia – EU geographical indications register
- Wine With Seth
- Wines of Portugal
- The Buyer