vinho verde

[fangi]

Dear Everyone,

i bought a 5.99 vinho verde last night and drank it after dinner. (i didn't think it could handle being paired with homemade extra spicy chili)

It was crisp, tres acidic, not too fruity and the flavor sort of disappeared on the mid-palate. Okay, so it wasn't the world's finest wine, but i quite enjoyed it. Its low alcohol content (10%) allowed me to drink a bit more than usual. Heh heh.

But my question concerning this vinho verde is why in the heck it would smell of Champagne...or other champagne-style sparkling wines? (i know not all champagnes smell alike...but still, they have that Champagny smell, if you know what i mean)

I know the grapes used for champagne (pinot noir, pinot meunier, chardonnay...and many others) are not the same grapes used to make vinho verde (azal...and others i can't remember for the life of me).

So, does this sound completely idiotic, or might there be a reason for this odd champagny nose?

The boyfriend agreed, without any hint from me that it smelled like Champagne.


thanks folks,
Brett

[wondersofwine]

Maybe it has a yeasty quality? I really don't know the answer but was struck by your first sentence. I visited a Fado club in Lisbon, Portugal once and the native Portuguese were offering me rather hot peppers (tear-inducing) and Vinho Verde with which to wash them down. Believe me, I needed the wine and some water to cope. So maybe Vinho Verde would be a better match for the chili than you thought.

[fangi]

yeasty? i dunno, isn't that bad?


That's interesting about the Vinho Verde and the chili...well, there's a bunch left of both, maybe i'll try them together tonight.

I ate the chili along with vietti's barbera d'asti. (that was a poor combination too)I'm-a-gonna save that for my special pasta arrabiata/with sausage!

thanks for your reply,

Cheers,
brett

[Kcwhippet]

Vinho Verde actually is a very good companion to spicy foods, and for the reasons you mentioned. WW's experience bears that out.

BTW, there aren't many other grapes in Champagne than those you mentioned.