Confused about what kind of wine should accompany that special dish you like so much? But, do you know how many types of wine exist and what are their differences? We are going to clarify your doubts and show you the differences between the Green Wine and the Mature Wine! For that, we also must know how to differentiate the 4 different types of wine that exist!

What are the differences between Green Wine and the Matured Wine?

Vinho Verde (or Green wine) is so named because it is produced in the Vinho Verde Demarcated Region, which includes the Douro and Minho regions in the North of Portugal!

They are wines of controlled origin since 1908, certified by the CVRVV (Comissão de Viticultura da Região de Vinhos Verdes) and each bottle carries a guarantee seal. Similar to what happens with Champagne, which is produced in the Champagne Demarcated Region in France!

Some facts about vinho verde:

a.           This different appellation is not related to the color or hue of the wine! The color of vinho verde is not green!

b.           Green wine is not made with unripe grapes, or it would be too acidic for your health. All wines are made with ripe grapes!

C.           There are 15 main varieties of Vinho Verde, Alvarinho being one of the most appreciated, and more than 20 secondary varieties.

In 2022 the Green Wine Demarcated Region will be 114 years old! This region is demarcated because it has some characteristics of its own, both at the soil and climate level, which makes the wine markedly more acidic than the others. Its maturation process is also shorter than other wines.

The Existing Types of Wine

Wines can be divided into 4 types: red, white, rosé and sparkling! Check out their main differences, how they are produced and which dishes each one can accompany!

1.   The Red Wines - as the name indicates, it is the wine that has tincture, in other words, colouration. It is produced from the fermentation of the pulp (must) resulting from crushing dark (red) grapes and its subsequent partial transformation into alcohol. These wines need to reach certain temperatures for the grapes' sugar to be transformed into alcohol, with red wines needing higher temperatures than white wines. Good to accompany red meat dishes, pasta and cheese!

2.   White Wines - these are made with white grapes, and sometimes with the pulp of red grapes! These wines are sweeter than the red wines and are more reminiscent of the taste of the fruit itself when compared to the red wines! Great to accompany fish dishes, white meats and salads!

3.   Rosé Wines - these are made exclusively with red grapes, but the colour is lighter because during the grape crushing process, the paste (must) spends little time in contact with the dark grape skins. It goes well with any cheese or chorizo/ham platter, appetizers, pasta, pizza and some types of cheese!

4.   Sparkling wines - these wines undergo two different types of fermentation: natural and artificial. In the first, the sparkling wine is produced exactly the same way as the other wines mentioned above, but afterwards carbon dioxide gas is injected into the drink so that it has gas and to produce foam. But beware! Sparkling wine is different from Champagne as the latter can only be produced with grapes specifically planted in the Champagne Demarcated Region in France.

Therefore, the existing types of Green Wine include all the above, i.e., there are green white wines, green red wines, green rosé wines and green sparkling wines.

We hope you have learnt about the differences between Green Wine and Matured Wine! And that you never confuse these 2 terms again. Whatever type of wine you prefer, in Portugal or Spain you will find some of the best wines in the world. Take the opportunity to do a tasting of mature wines near Lisbon or if you prefer a gastronomic experience that includes tasting of mature wines in Porto.

Take the opportunity to visit our Living Magazine-Blog and our website Living Tours to visit the Green Wine Demarcated Region or to other wine regions in Portugal or Spain.