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 Linda Delmonico Prussen is a 10-time award-winning journalist whose passion is wine. Her other forms of generating income including acting in TV and film, playwriting and coaching gymnastics. When not working she enjoys spending time with her three beautiful daughters, her husband, her friends and her best friend, her Maltipoo Powder. She can be reached at lprussen@optonline.net |
| Recently I was fortunate enough to visit the wine making region in Portugal called Vinho Verde. The Vinho Verde area is in northern Portugal, bordering Spain. The Vinho Verde region is known for crafting light, fresh, crisp, easy drinking whites. In fact, they are probably the easiest drinking wines in the world with an equally easy price tag to match. The great value and low alcohol, coupled with the wines’ lively flavors and slight frizzante, make it my go-to wine for outdoor activities. While the Vinho Verde region excels at producing these straight forward whites, it isn’t their only wine. There are sparkling wines, rosés and even deep, dark, delicious reds. Although Vinho Verde may make predominantly white wines, it is the most colorful wine region I’ve seen. The lush green vineyards are dotted with the red tiled roofs of homes and buildings. Plants abound in splashy colors on the roadside and on the grounds in each vineyard. What makes Vinho Verde stand out amongst many of the other wine regions in the world, is the connectivity from the region to the wine. When you are there you cannot imagine drinking anything other than their wonderful wines. A staple on the menu in Vinho Verde is cod fish and the wines pair beautifully with the many ways the fish is prepared. To get to the Vinho Verde region you should fly into Porto. About 50 miles from Porto is Amarante and the Monverde Wine Experience Hotel. Nestled among a lush beautiful vineyard, the Monverde Wine Experience Hotel is a luxurious way to experience the Vinho Verde area and learn about wine through many of its programs. www.monverde.pt/index.php About 15 miles from Amarante is Penafiel and The Quinta Da Aveleda, home to the world famous Casal Garcia Vinho Verde. Call to schedule a visit there and taste the well-loved, as well as the unique and little-known wines, from this iconic producer. You can easily spend a day wandering their many gardens. Managed and cared for by the same family since 1870, the Guedes family, stepping onto their estate is like slipping back in time. And the gardens reminded me of the Chronicles of Narnia. Of course, I did have some of their lovely wine prior to my stroll. www.aveledaportugal.com/index.php?id=45 Also, about 15 miles from Amarante is Celorico de Basto, the home of Quinta de Santa Cristina. Here the sky seems to go on forever. From the exposed vantage point of Quinta de Santa Cristina, you feel as if you can see most of the Vinho Verde region. At Quinta de Santa Cristina they offer many wine tours including golf, rafting and horseback riding. According to their website, they also have partnerships with area hotels. Oh, and of course they have amazing wine. www.garantiadasquintas.com/en/enoturismo |
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20 lucky winners will win $500 each in prizes totaling $10,000. 