We first discovered the Portuguese white grape, Avesso, as part of a wine club we were receiving bottles from. This grape, typically grown in Vinho Verde, really delighted us with a nice complexity of flavor while still having many of the characteristics we love in a refreshing Vinho Verde.
So when we got a chance to try a bottle from Quinta do Ferro, we were really excited to see if it held up to our expectations.
Thankfully, it did!
As far as Portuguese grapes are concerned, Avesso is a bit of an unsung hero. Part of it is simply because it is delicious (routinely one of my favorite whites from the country) but also that the production is quite limited- just a few vineyards even grow this grape at all!
So when we say it was quite rare to find a sparkling Avesso, made in the traditional method, from Quinta do Ferro, we really mean it.
We were fortunate enough to meet up with one of the owners from Quinta do Ferro when in Portugal thanks to an introduction by our local wine school, and we were able to bring a bottle of the Ferro Sparkling home with us courtesy of the winery. Naturally, it lasted about a month in our house before we had to open it because, you know, we love Avesso (and also had reasons to celebrate with family- so double win).
We had our first bottle of wine from A&D Wines in our Plonk Wine Club order- the stellar Monologo Avesso that was one of the best whites we had that year.
Naturally, when we put in an order for more wine from Plonk a la carte we decided to check out another bottle from this supplier- the Casa do Arrabalde. While this one was a blend of near equal parts of Avesso, Alvarinho, and Arinto, it stacked up being a delicious Portuguese white wine all the same.
We always love trying new grape varietals for this project, and the Portuguese grape Avesso was one such varietal for us.
While A&D Wines Monologo Avesso may be our first for this grape, it most certainly will not be the last. It was a surprising wine in all respects!
