Gazela - Vinho Verde, or Portuguese on the Patio

With the record rainfall we receive in the Pacific Northwest, it's no surprise that we take our patio time seriously. Any opportunity to sneak off from work early (or extend that lunch break just a little) and spend a few sunny hours basking on a patio – we'll take it! And for this we need a little something to sip on.

While I don't know of any restaurants that serve Gazela's Vinho Verde on their patio (this certainly doesn't mean that there are none out there), I do know that this light, refreshing wine is excellent when paired with a residential porch. And at $11, you can call on this guy for a weeknight patio lounge session.

Because Vinho Verde (literally "green wine") is such a young wine, it has a refreshing natural effervescence (thanks to some in-bottle fermentation) and a low alcohol content, making it a natural wine spritzer. No more pouring Sprite in your wine! It's class all the way from now on.

Vinho Verde isn't actually a wine varietal, it's more of a happy wine making mistake. As such, you can find white, red, and rosé, but I'll admit I've only had the pleasure of tasting the white. However, the liquor store recently started carrying Gazela's rosé version, so as the bevy of patio evenings increases steadily, I'll definitely be tucking into a bottle or two of this bubbly pink. 

While I normally shy away from pretty packaging, this just happens to be one book you can freely judge by its cover. Except maybe the rosé – I have no idea if it's any good. 

Happy patio-ing!