2011 Aphros Vinhão Rosé Vinho Verde

Aphros wines are all produced from certified biodynamic grapes, in an area where farming this way, due to the humid climate, is not easy. Proprietor Vasco Croft is commited to biodynamics, and all of the Aphros wines are beautiful expressions of the terroir in the Lima sub-zone of Vinho Verde. Vinhao is one of the rare red grape varieties with both a darkly colored skin and pulp inside. Even with a delicate foot trodding in traditional granite lagares, without any additional maceration on the skins, the wine is a beautiful hue, approximating the dusky, pale garnet color of a lighter red wine such as Grignolino. This is a lovely rosé, serious and sufficiently structured to merit serious attention, but bright and tasty enough to quaff. I suspect that this will be one of those rosés which holds up nicely with bottle age as well. A wonderful, intriguing wine. (Joe Manekin, K&L Portuguese wine buyer)