2020 Quinta de Soalheiro Alvarinho Moncao E Melgaco Vinho Verde Portugal 750 ml

A perfect summertime sipper, the crisp and clean 92-point 2020 Quinta De Soalheiro Alvarinho Monção e Melgaço comes from a Wine Advocate darling, a five-time Wine & Spirits Top 100 winery, and one of the most esteemed growers in the country.

With ethereal aromas of peach, cherry blossoms, and chamomile, plus a palate packed with summer stone fruit and sea salt, this 92-point, zesty, palate-cleansing wonder is a no-brainer for fans of Spanish Albariño, Sancerre, or any dry, aromatic white. 

One taste of this mouthwatering Alvarinho whisked us right back to where we discovered it: an open-front gastrobar called Fronteira in the Portuguese riverside town of Valença. That first sip was as life-giving as a drink from the Fountain of Youth, and made our thoughts turn immediately to Fronteira’s menu. Before the bottle was done, we were refueling on shrimp, seared padrón peppers, and even pig’s ear carpaccio—and swearing we’d bring this bottle to Wine Access members.

Quinta de Soalheiro is in Melgaço, the northernmost region of Portugal, which sits just south of Spain’s Albariño hotbed of Galicia. The winery enjoys the ample rainfall, days filled with sunshine, and chilly nights that make this part of the world perfect for the grape, which ripens beautifully but maintains its hallmark fresh acidity and superb floral quality. That’s what Soalheiro founder João António Cerdeira could see when he planted the first Alvarinho vines in the area in 1974—and this house is now widely regarded as the most serious grower in Portugal.

This is your passport to exquisite Portuguese refreshment, on the porch or at the dinner table. Stamp it!