Today we review a white wine from Portugal available at Trader Joe’s for the remarkable price of $4.
Let’s be honest, at this low price, a wine doesn’t have to do very much to achieve a recommendation. As long as it doesn’t suck, it should be recommendable. (In fact, this wine was featured in the “Cheap Wines That Don’t Suck” column in the San Francisco Weekly.) But this wine actually does some things very well.
Espiral vinho verde is perfect for a starter wine at a summer party. “Starter” meaning that the guests are just arriving, it was hot as a firecracker outside, and they are saying hello and getting comfortable. Why does Espiral work here? It’s light. REALLY light. And it’s fun, because it’s a little bit bubbly. Effervescent. Spritzy. It’s also fun because, as my foodie friends who introduced me to Espiral pointed out, it tastes like a green apple Jolly Rancher. Finally, it’s very low alcohol, so it won’t bog anybody down as they begin to enjoy your party.
On the downside, depending on your tastes, this crisp white wine is very simple, lacking depth and “oomph”. And it’s extremely dry. Some people want their white wine to provide some ooey-gooey sweetness. (Although I think some of these people will come around once you lay the Jolly Rancher comparison on them.)
Serve this one very well-chilled. Enjoy!
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