FROM THE WIRES...
Announcing the inaugural release of Mendes & Symington’s Contacto Alvarinho 2023 (SRP $22)! Vibrating with life, Contacto Alvarinho offers an expressive appellation-designated wine from the prized Monção and Melgaço sub-region of the Vinho Verde DOC in northern Portugal– the perfect summer sipper.
Symington Family Estates, one of Portugal’s oldest Port producing families, has joined forces with the legendary Portuguese winemaker, Anselmo Mendes to offer a range of Alvarinho wines from the historic estate – Casa de Rodas, as well as the renowned Contacto brand. The Symington family recently acquired the 68 acre estate in the prestigious Monção and Melgaço sub-region of the Vinho Verde DOC. The joint venture also includes the acquisition of the Contacto brand, produced by winemaker Anselmo Mendes. Mendes and Symington are distributing the wines produced from the property, the 2023 Contacto Alvarinho is the first wine launching in the US this summer.
The name of the wine, Contacto, refers to the practice of leaving the grape skins in contact with the must to add layers of flavor and complexity to the finished wine. The length of maceration will vary from year to year depending on harvest conditions.
In contrast to the traditional wines of the region, this Alvarinho is produced entirely from that one noble grape variety grown exclusively in Monção and Melgaço. In recent years this sub-region of Vinho Verde DOC has grown to be considered a world-class white wine-producing region. It benefits from a temperate continental climate as result of being surrounded by a range of mountains on the Spanish border, allowing a unique combination of precipitation, temperature and light required for the perfect maturation of the grapes. These conditions make for stand out wines, offering freshness, texture and minerality.
Sample.
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