Adega
Cooperativa de Monção
Visiting Portugal's Vinho Verde region, part 3
The
Adega Cooperativa de Monção is one of Portugal’s best
co-operatives, making a decent range of wines at very good prices.
Yes, the packaging is rather dated (and not really suited to the UK
market), but the wines are very good.
We
met with Antonino Barbosa, president of the Co-op (incidentally, his
daughter Antonina is one of the winemakers with João Portugal Ramos’
impressive Falua winery in the Ribatejo).
There
are 1600 growers in the co-op, many of whom have very small vineyard
holdings. In all, the total area farmed by these growers is just 900
hectares. The price set by the co-op varies according to the variety
(Alvarinho fetches the most, typically just over a Euro per kilo)
and by the potential alcohol of the grapes (how ripe they are; in a
cool region such as this, riper = better).
Varieties
used here include Tajadura (the same as the Galician Treixadura; a
speciality of the Monção subrejion) and Alvarinho (another
speciality of Monção).
Production
is around 5.5 million bottles/year, and harvest varies from 6000–9500
tons. It's not a pretty winery, but good quality co-ops like this
are hugely valuable because they make good, typical wines that all
can afford.
THE
WINES
Adega
de Monção Vinho Verde Branco 2007
Lemony, bright, fresh and minerality with hints of peach. Bright
and delicious with some spritz. 86/100
Muralhas
de Monção Vinho Verde Branco 2007
Lovely fresh, aromatic, fruity nose. Some peach/apricot richness
on the palate as well as bright citrus fruit. 87/100
Alvarinho
Deu la Deu Vinho Verde Branco 2007
Slightly sulfury, mineral nose.
The palate is bold and fruity with a nice citrussy edge to the peach
and pear-like fruit. Bright, crisp and delicious. 88/100
Alvarinho
Deu la Deu Estagiado 2006
The same as Deu la Deu but aged in barrel. Toast, vanilla and
lemon on the nose. Creamy palate with noticeable oak as well as
peachy fruit. Doesn’t work for me. 82/100
Adega
de Monção Vinho Verde Tinto 2007
Vibrant, fresh raspberry and blackberry fruit. Vivid with a hint
of meatiness. Juicy and fruity with some spritz and some green sappy
notes. A lovely food wine with a strongly savoury character. 85/100
VINHO
VERDE
Wines
tasted as 11/08
Find these wines with wine-searcher.com
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