MARIA PAPOILA VINHO VERDE

“Maria Papoila” is named for a 1937 propaganda film about a young girl who arrives in the big city, only to end up being the one who shows all the sophisticates how life is really lived… the film was designed to quell a revolution via country values and a law abiding approach to modern life. Using our metaphor of the preconceived notions in wine, I would like to start a revolution via bottle of the Maria Papoila Vinho Verde…

I love the ‘tongue in cheek’ turn of phrase here…Francisco and Joao have made a honest country wine, and a fine one at that. The goal is for it’s arrival in the wine scene to turn some heads as many will assume when they read a label that says Vinho Verde that the next sip will include a light spritzy, if not, forgettable wine. Quite the contrary…what follows is an aromatically driven wine born in the 125 year old vines of Loureiro found in Moncao…then the 85 year old vines of Alvarinho from Melgaco firm up in the palate, and a mineral moment that lies between Kimmeridgean Chablis and the Mosel Riesling takes shape. But this is all granite here, more clamping, and dry in the finish. This is Cru Vinho Verde and a spectacular surprise. Hard to not fall in love