There is a question we are often asked: what sets a mountain Alvarinho apart from a maritime one?
The answer lies in the soil, the climate, and time.
Monção e Melgaço: The Protected Valley
The region of Monção and Melgaço sits against the Spanish border, sheltered by mountains that attenuate Atlantic influence. Summers are hot and dry, winters cold, and the diurnal range during ripening is pronounced — warm days build sugars while cool nights preserve acidity and aromatics.
The soils are granitic, sandy, low in clay, and naturally acidic. This “poverty” — in the pedological sense — is in fact a richness: it forces the vines to work harder, to push roots deeper, to concentrate expression.
The result is an Alvarinho of vibrant acidity, intense minerality, and an aging potential that surprises those who taste it for the first time.
Requião: The Sea You Taste in the Glass
About 80 km to the south, in Requião (Vila Nova de Famalicão), the terroir tells a different story. The proximity of the Atlantic is immediately felt: the sea breeze brings salinity, winters are mild, and summers are warm yet tempered by oceanic freshness.
The soils here have a different composition: still granitic, but with above-average clay content. This characteristic gives structure and complexity to the wines, moderating the acidity profile and creating a rounder texture on the palate.
This is where Almanua is born — an Alvarinho blended with Arinto and Maria Gomes, capturing this entire maritime identity in a single bottle.
What Unites Both Terroirs
Despite their differences, there is a common thread: the versatility of Alvarinho. A grape that, in the right hands, can simultaneously be tense and round, floral and mineral, fresh and structured.
At VineVinu, we do not choose between the sea and the mountain. We choose both.
This is the starting point of our exploration. There is much more to discover.