Discovering Vinho Verde Alvarinho with Anselmo Mendes
The Alvarinho vineyards at Quinta da Torre, Anselmo Mendes - Source: Wine Keller
A wine tour of Vinho Verde’s beautiful Monção and Melgaço region and learning about an amazing new wine tourism project - Quinta da Torre
Vinho Verde Portugal is one of the most beautiful of the Portuguese wine regions and a wine tour here has to include its most well-known sub-region, ‘Monção and Melgaço’. Located on the tip of North Portugal, on the south banks of the River Minho, bordering with Galicia in Spain, the Monção and Melgaço sub-region is home to Vinho Verde Alvarinho.
Portuguese wine tourism is a really exciting and fast-growing sector and is very popular in Vinho Verde. We took the opportunity whilst on a recent Vinho Verde wine tour, to explore Monção and Melgaço, to discover the Alvarinho wines of the celebrated winemaker, Anselmo Mendes and also to learn about his incredibly exciting new wine tourism project at his Quinta da Torre estate.
Read on to learn more about this incredible new wine tourism offering in the heart of beautiful Vinho Verde!
Also see below video on YouTube about our wine tour at Anselmo Mendes and Quinta da Torre
Vinho Verde’s sub region of Monção and Melgaço
The wine region of Monção and Melgaço produces a high proportion of the best Vinho Verde wines and is home to some of the best white wines in Portugal. It is the birthplace of Alvarinho, one of the best white grape varieties in the world and wines made from this grape are certainly the stars of Monção and Melgaço.
The Monção and Melgaço region is located at the north-western tip of Vinho Verde. It benefits from a special micro-climate, with more frequent sunshine than in other parts of Vinho Verde and limited Atlantic breeze and rainfall.
The sunny hillsides around the southern bank of the Minho river are protected by mountains which serve to control the humidity and temperatures. Monção is located lower by the Minho river, while Melgaço is at slightly higher altitudes.
There are approximately 1700 hectares of vineyards producing wines with the Vinho Verde Monção and Melgaço certification.
Portugal’s Vinho Verde wine map
Vinho Verde Alvarinho
The Alvarinho grape variety flourishes in the granite soils of the Minho valley in North Portugal, as it does in the Spanish wine region of Rías Baixas, just across the River Minho, where it is known as Albariño.
Typical Monção and Melgaço Alvarinho wines are elegant, fresh, intense and expressive and aromas can include quince, peach, banana, lemon, passion fruit and lychee, orange blossom and violet, hazelnut and walnut and honey.
There are of course individual variations and blends, however the top wines tend to be 100% Alvarinho. Some are more powerful than others and some are matured in oak barrels to give them a more intense, deeper flavour. All Monção and Melgaço Alvarinho wines however are gastronomic, so they are perfect wines to pair with food.
Despite the dominance of Alvarinho in Monção and Melgaço, other grape varieties include Trajadura and Loureiro (whites) and Borraçal, Vinhão or Alvarelhão (reds).
The mountains protecting the Alvarinho vineyards of Monção & Melgaço at Quinta da Torre - Source: Wine Keller
A region of tradition and history
The valley of the River Minho marks the place where Portugal begins both geographically and historically. The villages of Monção and Melgaço were founded over 700 years ago and for many centuries, they were the first line of defence for the Kingdom of Portugal. This is evidenced by their ancient city walls and castles which still stand, in part, today (see later).
The winegrowing tradition in Monção and Melgaço has deep roots. By the 15th century, it was already much more than a local agricultural product and “Vinho de Monção” was eagerly sought by the English cod traders who lined the Portuguese coast.
Despite the deep tradition of Monção and Melgaço wines, many winemakers here today combine tradition with modernity and innovation. A new breed of young winemakers are attracted by the region’s recent development as a top and exciting wine region to watch!
Learn more about Vinho Verde’s Monção and Melgaço region here.
Anselmo Mendes
Anselmo Mendes is recognised in Portugal and across the global wine sector, for producing top quality, excellent wines, through successfully combining winemaking innovation with winemaking tradition. He is also widely regarded for his deep knowledge and experience of the Alvarinho grape variety, which he has been studying since 1987!
His family wine business, ‘Anselmo Mendes’ is based between the towns of Monção and Melgaço, from where he ships his wine to over 40 countries around the world. The vineyards in Monção and Melgaço are his main focus, but Anselmo Mendes also has vineyards in two other Vinho Verde sub-regions, Lima and Baião.
From a traditional farming family, Anselmo Mendes first trained to become an ‘agronomist - ‘an expert in the science of soil management and crop production’ - but soon after he combined his love of the land with his love of the Alvarinho grape to become a winemaker.
Anselmo Mendes - ‘Mr Alvarinho’
Anselmo Mendes, also known as ‘Mr Alvarinho’, was born in Monção and has a deep connection to the Vinho Verde region, especially Monção and Melgaço. He has dedicated the last 30 years to studying the Alvarinho grape variety and experimenting to produce the best wine possible. He is especially known for his studies and work in the area of fermentation and ageing Alvarinho wines in oak barrels.
Anselmo Mendes produced his first wine in 1998, ‘Muros de Melgaço’. From this point he has been established as a leading light in the Vinho Verde region, proving how good the wines from this Portuguese wine region can be.
He built a new winery between the towns of Monção and Melgaço in 2008, the same year he started to restructure vineyards at the Quinta da Torre estate in Monção. He completed the purchase of the estate in 2016 and by 2017 had the largest plot of Alvarinho vines in Monção and Melgaço. Today the 60+ hectare Quinta da Torre estate provides most of the grapes for Anselmo Mendes wines.
Awards and accolades
Anselmo Mendes has received many awards and accolades. Most recently he was awarded the title ‘Lord of Wine’ by Grandes Escolhas magazine in recognition for his career and work over more than three decades as an oenologist and wine producer - and in 2021 his winery was named in the exclusive list of ‘Top 100 wine producers’ by Wine & Spirits magazine.
Wine Tourism
Anselmo Mendes is passionate to share his wines and for people to learn more about them and the different grape varieties. This is why wine tourism is so important to Anselmo Mendes and why it provides him with a way to deliver on his lifelong passion.
Our visit to Anselmo Mendes
Anselmo Mendes is such an icon in Portugal’s Vinho Verde region and as the leading light in Alvarinho, our wine tour of Monção and Melgaço just had to include a visit! After getting in touch we were invited to meet with Pedro Ramires from Anselmo Mendes, at the Quinta da Torre estate, to learn about an incredibly exciting new wine tourism project, to be followed by a visit to the winery.
We were fortunate to spend an entire morning learning about Anselmo Mendes, the wines, the vineyards and the new wine tourism project - and we were privileged to meet the man himself!
Visit to the Quinta da Torre estate
The Quinta da Torre estate is where Anselmo grew up and spent his childhood amongst the vineyards - and it is in his blood. He was always captivated by the history of the estate, including the vineyards where vines have existed since the 14th century and the 15th century manor house, with its distinctive towers, previously the home of Portuguese aristocratic families.
Part of the Quinta da Torre estate which means so much to Anselmo Mendes - Source: Wine Keller
Corn was also traditionally grown on the estate and you can still see the old granaries which stored the corn years ago. These are in fact a key feature of the estate, demonstrating its unique history and tradition. Many of the vines were formerly grown on trellises above the corn to save space and this is why the grapes never properly ripened, leading to the term ‘green wine’, or ‘vinho verde’.
Developing his Alvarinho vineyards here and finally acquiring the estate is the culmination of a lifetime’s work and passion and it is deeply personal to Anselmo.
To get a deeper insight about Anselmo and his passion for Vinho Verde, Monção and Melgaço, the Alvarinho grape and Quinta da Torre watch this excellent video (under 5 minutes long).
Quinta da Torre terroir
Anselmo has always believed that the terroir at Quinta da Torre provides the best possible location for Alvarinho grapes to flourish. Not only is the region’s special micro-climate ideal for growing the precious Alvarinho grapes - in the Minho river valley, protected from the Atlantic winds and rain by surrounding mountains - but the variety of soils that exist here also provide the perfect grape growing environment. The origins are granite but there are actually many different types of soil here, which offer Anslemo the perfect opportunity to experiment and produce a variety of different Alvarinho wine styles from the different vineyard plots.
Anselmo is also conducting experiments with other white wine grapes - both Portuguese and other international varieties - and some lesser-known red grape varieties.
The estate is situated close to the River Minho, which forms the border with Spanish Galicia, but another smaller river runs through the estate, the River Gadanha. This is the source of nourishment for the vineyards as well as some wonderful flora and fauna, which only adds to the beauty of this peaceful location.
Quinta da Torre new wine tourism project
After completing the acquisition of the estate in 2016, including its medieval buildings and tower, (‘torre’ means ‘tower’ in Portuguese), Anselmo set about renovating it to create a brand new wine tourism destination, which we were privileged to explore, whilst in the final stages of development.
The new Quinta da Torre wine tourism destination will offer the following from Spring 2023:
A superb tasting room, with a fantastic terrace offering views out over the vineyards and river in the distance;
A visitor centre, sharing Anselmo’s experiences and expertise in winemaking and the Alvarinho grape variety;
A small winery and wine experiment centre (where you will be able to taste 8 different styles of Alvarinho, made from grapes from different terroirs);
Walking trails and the opportunity to enjoy a picnic in the vineyards by the river
On-site accommodation, of modern, contemporary design;
Café offering traditional dishes made from locally and estate-sourced ingredients
We absolutely loved walking round Quinta da Torre and learning about this really exciting new wine tourism project here in the heart of Vinho Verde’s Alvarinho country. We’re convinced that it will be a great success, for many reasons! Not only is the setting stunning - you couldn’t choose a better spot to while away a couple of hours, or stay overnight - but it will deliver a total wine experience. You’ll be able to discover some amazing wines, maybe try them with some local food and then have the chance to learn more about the wines and winemaking here in this part of Portugal’s Vinho Verde region, from the master, Anselmo Mendes.
We can’t wait to return once Quinta da Torre is open! We’ll come back and tell you all about it!
Anselmo Mendes winery and wine tasting
After our visit to Quinta da Torre, we went on to the winery with our wonderful guide Pedro, stopping off first of all for a quick look around the winery itself. Here we had the great fortune to bump into Anselmo Mendes himself, in the winery, where he loves to be most, or in his vineyards, busy sampling the newly pressed grape juice!
We loved hearing directly from Anselmo about his passion for the Monção and Melgaço region, the land, the grapes and the wine. For us this was a real insight into what lies ‘behind the label’ of a bottle of Anselmo Mendes wine and this is what we love about wine and wine tourism - getting the chance to do exactly that!
In the fabulous tasting room, Pedro introduced us to a range of Anselmo’s wines, which really highlighted how he experiments with different terroirs and winemaking techniques to produce very different styles of wines.
All of the wines we tasted were amazing, but we particularly loved the 100% ‘Alvarinho Contacto’ wine, which is a top selling wine for Anselmo Mendes in 49 countries around the world - the name refers to the 12 hours of contact with the grape skin before pressing. We also loved the ‘Parcela Única’ single vineyard Alvarinho - stunning!
A real revelation to us was a red wine called ‘Parduso Private’ - one of Anselmo’s ‘experiments’ to revive an ancient red grape variety called Alvarelhão, known locally as Brancelho. Aged for 2 years in oak barrels and 1 year in the bottle, it was superb.
Winemaking is indeed a science and it was incredibly interesting to take this deep dive into Anselmo Mendes’ world of grape studies and wine experiments!
Visiting Anselmo Mendes
From Spring 2023 you will be able to visit Anselmo Mendes at the Quinta da Torre estate of course and sample his wines here - for further information see the website.
Address: Anselmo Mendes Winery - Penso Industrial Area, Lot 2 4960-310, Melgaço, Portugal
Purchasing Anselmo Mendes wines
Anselmo Mendes wines can be found in most countries. In the UK the importer is Clark Foyster.
Visiting Monção and Melgaço
As well as being a land of wine and gastronomy, the Monção and Melgaço region in Portugal’s Minho is a great destination for history enthusiasts, nature lovers and adrenaline junkies!
Explore the countryside, following any of the many walking trails and discover the thermal baths, the tourist villages and monuments. Both towns of Monção and Melgaço are border towns (with Spanish Galicia) on the River Minho and both are castle and spa towns - and there are lots of options for activities such as rafting, canoeing, canyoning, horse-riding, and cycling.
How to get to Monção and Melgaço
The main town to head for, in our opinion, is Melgaço, which lies just 1 hour 40 minutes from Porto, the location of the nearest international airport. There is an excellent tourist office here, which we found really useful and Melgaço lies within the stunning Peneda-Gerês National Park - see below.
See here to help you plan your trip to Melgaço!
Where to stay in Monção and Melgaço
During our wine tour of Vinho Verde’s Monção and Melgaço region, we based ourselves just outside Melgaço in the Hotel Monte Prado. This is a fabulous, relaxing spa hotel, with a glorious outdoor swimming pool, located right by the River Minho. We dined in the hotel one evening and had a great meal and really enjoyed the buffet breakfast.
If you want to get away from it all and enjoy a great, peaceful location, in the heart of the rural countryside, close to the Monção and Melgaço wineries, then we would absolutely recommend this hotel!!
Here for some other accommodation alternatives. And here specifically for Melgaço.
What to see and do in Melgaço
Melgaço is proud of its beautiful historical, cultural and architectural heritage, inserted in the wonderful Peneda-Gerês National Park. It is a land rich in traditions, stories and legends and proud of its gastronomy.
Views from Melgaço castle tower - Source: Wine Keller
Melgaço is a small town, but it is worth spending an hour or so strolling the picturesque streets and alley-ways.
At the heart of the town you will find Melgaço Castle, dating back to the 12th century. The only remains today include parts of the old village wall and the castle keep/tower, but it's really worth strolling up to the tower to enjoy the beautiful view over Melgaço and the nearby mountains.
From the Castle, take a stroll along to the Jean-Loup Passek Cinema Museum, which has a very interesting history. It is housed in a former customs office and dedicated to the history of cinema in Portugal.
You can also visit the recently refurbished Solar do Alvarinho where you can discover more about Alvarinho wine.
Visit Monção
Monção lies 23km west of Melgaço and is popular to visit because of its Castle and the healing waters of the ‘Termas de Monção’ - or the thermal spas. Similar to Melgaço, only the keep/tower and a section of the old village wall remains of the Monção Castle.
For more information about Monção, see here.
Follow the Alvarinho wine route
The Alvarinho wine route is marked on the roads and this provides an ideal way to discover the area and its natural and cultural heritage. Similar to the Vinho Verde wine route, you can’t go wrong following this route by car!
Peneda-Gerês National Park
Melgaço sits inside the stunning Peneda-Gerês National Park - created in 1971 and Portugal’s only protected national park. Melgaço lies just a few kilometres from the Porta de Lamas de Mouro, one of the 5 park gates, where you can find an information and resource centre.
We would highly recommend spending some time here, to discover not just its scenic beauty but its old granite villages, the rare examples of ancient human history, rare and endemic botanical species and the habitat of native and endangered species. These include the emblematic wolves and wild horses and the local breed of Castro Laboreiro dogs.
Take a step back in time and experience life as it was many years ago in this area and to some extent how it remains, extremely rural and traditional and in the winters especially, tough and challenging. Witness the locals carrying on with their daily lives which revolve mostly round farming and looking after their herds of cattle and goats.
Visit Castro Laboreiro village
Drive up the winding roads from Melgaço, like we did, through some incredible scenery and after visiting Lamas de Mouro for some information, carry on to the small village of Castro Laboreiro, named as the top place to visit in the whole National Park
Situated at 1000 metres altitude, enjoy the spectacular views across to the mountains beyond, even better if you can make the 20 minute climb up the remains of the Castle of Castro Laboreiro. Then have a rest and some refreshments at the Restaurante Miradouro do Castelo, where you can enjoy the uninterrupted views!
Make sure to visit the old Roman bridge remains in the village - the Ponte Velha - then drive through the wild countryside, past small rivers and dense woods, passing more Roman bridge remains on the way, to the Castro Laboreiro Plateau, where you can marvel at the huge granite rock formations and the incredible views.
We really enjoyed our day in the Peneda-Gerês National Park - it was one of the highlights of our Vinho Verde discovery and a real gem for those looking to explore more of Portugal!
Monção and Melgaço gastronomy
The food of this very rural and traditional region is centred around the mountains and the Minho river, with roasted lamb and goat, lamprey, spicy sausage and goats cheese being staple dishes - all washed down of course with some Alvarinho wine! See here for some examples of local dishes.
See here for restaurant recommendations in Melgaço. We had lunch one day at ‘Mini-Zip’ in the centre of Melgaço and enjoyed some excellent cod and chips!
See below video about visiting Melgaço and Peneda-Gerês National Park
Conclusion and personal highlights
We spent an incredible couple of days in this beautiful part of northern Portugal - a region we would really encourage you to explore yourselves. The scenery is incredible, but so are the people, the history and the traditions. Wine is a way of life here and the Alvorinho grape is certainly King here! To spend time learning about this grape variety with Anselmo Mendes was very special and we are incredibly excited about returning to Quinta da Torre next year as this is going to be a top-class wine tourism destination - you heard it here first!!!
