Vinhao

Also known as: Sousón (Galicia), Sousão (Douro)

Vinhão is one of Portugal’s darkest grape varieties – the name literally means „great wine“, but it’s less about greatness and more about intensity. In Vinho Verde, it produces almost inky, deep violet wines with crisp acidity and a slightly astringent grip. Most Vinho Verde are light and pale; Vinhão is the opposite. Aphros Wine shows what’s possible with this variety when you don’t tame it, but allow its edgy, mineral nature to shine – wines that recall cool-climate Syrah rather than the cliché of fizzy Vinho Verde. The grape grows on granite, often on steep slopes, and retains a freshness even in ripe years that makes it unmistakable.