First taste: Howards Folly Sonhador Alvarinho 2013

This is the third vintage I’ve tasted of Yorkshireman Howard Bilton’s Alvarinho.  This consistently sunny, tropical fruit-fest of an Alvarinho provides all the vitamin C & D one could wish for.  

It is one of two renditions of this Vinho Verde varietal super star which suggest you can take the man out of Alentejo, but you can’t take the Alentejo out of the man!

Howards Folly Sonhador Alvarinho is made by Esporao’s David Baverstock; Joao Portugal Ramos makes one too.  Both are from Alvarinho hotspot Monção e Melgaço.

Howards Folly Sonhador Alvarinho 2013 (Monção e Melgaço, Vinho Verde)

Bursts with tropical fruit – really juicy but concentrated pineapple with a touch of honey/syrup and lip-smacking greengage for balance.  It maintained full throttle fruit and line on day two when it was too moreish not to disappear down the hatch! 13% £13.62 at Buy Fine Wine whom I notice have sloppily (a) quoted my tasting note without attribution, even down to a typo – should say New World and (b) maintained said description of the 2010 vintage for the 2013.  Ahem!