Nobilis Vinho Verde
Nobilis Vinho Verde
Vinho Verde / Nobilis Low / 9%
Vinho Verde, Portugal- A soft, light and refreshing Vinho Verde that goes well with life. Blended from traditional varieties, Nobilis is aromatic and engaging with a slight fizz that enhances its bouquet, flavors and freshness. Ideal with seafood paella.
There are certain types of alcoholic beverages that suit themselves better to summer drinking. Things like fruity beer and canned cocktails are perfect for tossing in a cooler and taking wherever the party goes, whether that is a pontoon on the lake or a volleyball game at the park. White wine also fits the bill as long as you have a way to keep it chilled and cups to drink from. These are the styles of beverages that have always struck me as most suitable for a reduction in alcohol content. If you’re going to be imbibing throughout the day as the temperature rises, it makes a lot of sense to choose drinks with all the flavor but a toned down level of booze.
I am not particularly familiar with the Vinho Verde style of white wine, but Nobilis has released a version that contains just 9 percent alcohol by volume, significantly lower than the traditional 12-14 percent. This style of wine originates in Portugal, and I have always been a fan of both white and red wine that comes from the Iberian Peninsula. So needless to say I am excited to try this variety that I don’t know all that much about and see if it works as a lighter option for those hot summer days. Time to dig in and find out through this Nobilis Vinho Verde review.
Nobilis Vinho Verde Review
I really appreciate the packaging of this wine, as the label contains three color-blocked images of different types of condensation existing in nature. It is simple but bright enough to catch the eye. There isn’t much more information to the label, but we are told there are just 87 calories per five-ounce serving.
The first thing that is apparent both in the bottle and poured into a glass is that this wine has practically zero color to it. When you look deeper upon pouring, there is the slightest hint of gold to go along with some light carbonation that forms around the edges. It is barely perceptible, and you would be forgiven for your eyes not picking it up. But it is there.
The aroma on this wine is not exactly complex. I actually find it a bit difficult to even discern many distinct notes. The thing that I get most of is green apple, but it strikes me as more of a sweet leaning note than sour.
I also get a slightly acidic note that almost reminds me of motor oil. It isn’t very powerful, but as there aren’t many other strong aromas, I had to dig deeper and really try to suss out anything that I could.
When you combine the clear translucence of the liquid itself and the fairly nondescript aromas, it is tough to do much evaluating of this wine before letting it hit your tongue. So let’s get down to business and answer the question, “Is Nobilis Vinho Verde good?”
Is Nobilis Vinho Verde Good?
It is actually quite difficult to answer this question upon initial tasting because the burst of activity that hits the front of your tongue is a bit overwhelming. It isn’t necessarily unpleasant, but there is a surprising explosion of fizz that continues dancing around the mouth for some time. This dynamism also makes it challenging to identify individual flavor elements.
There is a nice amount of that green apple from the nose present, but it is not as sweet as the aroma led me to believe it would be. Most noticeable as far as flavor is the effervescence of it all. The carbonation combined with the light flavor elements actually reminds me of a variety of flavored soda water or seltzer.
While the body is light, it actually isn’t quite as light as you might anticipate given the lack of strong flavor profile and reduced calorie count. The mouthfeel is a bit brash but at least lets you know that you aren’t simply consuming flavored water. There is a bit of a needly quality to it, but for me at least, it isn’t enough to be considered offensive.
There is a little bit of lingering activity on the top of the mouth as you move through the finish, but overall it is quite clean and crisp. This is important to me, both simply in terms of personal preference and in the sense that it prepares consumers for the next sip so the drink continues to go down easily.
Still, the distinguishing characteristic of this tasting experience is the dynamic activity that this wine provides all over the palette. Perhaps the good news is that this fizziness seems to die down quite a bit if you allow the wine to sit in a glass. Unfortunately this also kill most of the little refreshing quality that it did start out with. But allowing it to rest gives it more of the texture of a traditional wine.
I can honestly say that this wine sticks out as something that I have never fully experienced before, but I will have to give some thought to what exactly that means for my final Nobilis Vinho Verde rating. Finish reading below to find out what I arrive at.
Nobilis Vinho Verde Rating
When I am reviewing non-alcoholic beverages, I tend to grade on a rather generous curve. I understand that it must be tough to maintain all the strong qualities of an alcoholic beverage without one of the key ingredients. But when it comes to something like this wine, where the the abv and calorie count are simply reduced to a healthier level, there shouldn’t be as much trouble maintaining a certain level of flavor along with the other elements that make wine enjoyable.
If I am being honest, this Vinho Verde comes up pretty short in a lot of those departments. The best thing that I can say about it is that nothing is truly offensive to the senses, unless you are particularly sensitive to fizziness. This prevents it from completely bottoming out in my scoring system but not much else. I must end this Nobilis Vinho Verde reviewing by awarding it just 2 out of 5 stars. Being unique is not all that it’s cracked up to be.
Photos Credit:
https://www.totalwine.com/
https://www.vivino.com/
