Clemen Vinho Verde Reserva 2008

A few weekends ago, we invited several couples and their children over for some playtime for all the kids and wines for the parents. While the wood was burning down in the fireplace to the desired red embers for grilling, we opened up a new wine from Portugal's Quinta das Touquinheiras Winery called Clemen. The region where these grapes are grown is located in the northwestern portion of the country along the Atlantic Ocean where the humidity is high and there is plenty of rainfall. It is a really fresh summer wine made from a blend of 50% Trajadura and 50% Alvarinho grapes. The Alvarinho grapes is more commonly known as the albarino grape in Spanish wines. This golden colored wine starts off with amazing aromas of apricots and peaches from the Alvarinho with some floral and mineral aromas from the terroir. On the palate, the fresh fruits continued along with some lemon and honey dew. A wonderful acidity and dryness to this wine makes for a great pairing with shellfish or fish. We served it with hors d'oeuvres of several types of soft cheeses, a French baguette, sliced pears and grapes and a tea-rose petal preserve. Are you looking for a nice white wine outside your normal list, give this one a try. Doug, from our local Wine Wise store, recommended this and I have to say Good Job!! I can probably count on one hand the number of Portuguese wines I have tasted and it was probably the first for our guests but everyone really enjoyed this wine. The Clemen retails for about $10.