An alternative to Rosé ?

I just read an interesting article on the rise of Vinho Verde. Vinho Verde is a 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 literally means "green wine," but translates as "young wine". They may be red, white, or rosé and they are usually consumed soon after bottling. Interestingly enough, the article bills Vinho Verde as "the new rosé" and given the surge in popularity of rosé, I thought it might be fun to highlight this "alternative."

Much like rosé,  vinho verde has a delightfully zingy taste. Additionally, vinho verde is typically enjoy chilled but unlike rosé, it can be enjoyed on ice or even with juice. What's mainly responsible for it's resurgence has been its low alcohol content and its price. Vinho verde typically runs at $10 per bottle or less. Additionally, while most wines run about 12% to 14% alcohol, Vinho Verde is typically 10% and can even be as low as 8.5%. All this has contributed to its popularity recently with US sales jumping more than 30% in 2017 while US volume jumping more than 15% in 2017. This growth has reinforced the US as the largest importer of vinho verde. The next time you are buying rosé, maybe try out this instead. Having polished off a few bottles this weekend, I can attest to is its value.