Minho – Portugal's northernmost wine region – is known for one wine style above all others: crisp, light, white Vinho Verde. It is located on the Portugal's Atlantic coast to the north and east of Porto, Portugal's second-largest city and the home of Port. It occupies a roughly rectangular area about 60 miles (100km) from north to south, which reaches about 30 miles (50km) inland.
The key grape varieties to be found in white Minho wines are Alvarinho, Avesso, Loureiro, Pederna (Arinto) and Trajadura. Their red counterparts are based on Alvarelhao, Espadeiro, Caino Tinto and the globally popular Cabernet Sauvignon.
Minho's proximity to the Atlantic is the reason why its land is so prolific for agriculture, including viticulture. In fact, this part of Portugal is known as the Costa Verde – a reference to its lush, green (verde) countryside. It has this in common with Spanish Galicia, immediately to the north. Rain-bearing winds blow in from the ocean, enabling the vineyards to produce much higher yields than those in drier, inland regions like neighboring Transmontano.
Aside from the Vinho Verde DOC, Minho has to its name the regional Minho IGP title, whose looser production laws allow more diversity in the average winery's portfolio. IGP Minho was formerly known Rios do Minho before Portugal's Vinho Regional category was updated to IGP in 2008 (to fall in line with EU-wide wine labelling conventions).
Minho is named, as are several Portuguese wine regions, after an important local river. The river Minho , which rises in the hills of neighboring Galicia (north-western Spain) forms the border between Spain and Portugal. Not just a vital source of water and transportation, the river's power is harnessed to produce a respectable proportion of Minho's electricity needs.
While the region's northern edge is marked by one important river, its southern edge is traced by a far more famous river; the famous Douro (Spain's Duero). The Douro bisects Minho's southern one-fifth, as it approaches the end of its long journey from the hills of Castilla y Leon. The Douro occupies a key position on the Portuguese wine map, connecting Portugal with Spain and the city of Porto with the vineyards of the Douro Valley.
