I just tasted the 2012 vintage of the Vinhos Norte "Cruzeiro Vinho Verde" from Portugal. It's delicious. So much so that I had to email the importers, Value Vines out of New Jersey. I traveled with them in February of 2011 to Portugal and the Vinho Verde region. Graybull Organics distributes the wine here in Indiana. Here's my email and tasting notes to Adele and Carl with Value Vines:

Its a great winery in a fantastic location-- on a stream in a bucolic setting. THIS bottle really TASTES like the place.

SO of course I had to look back at my notes from the trip to see what I had written about "the place". Here is what I found:

"We started at Vinhos Norte-one of the area's larger producers and the first to export wines out of the country with much of its production going to Germany and France with some box wine blends sold in Brazil. Not available in the US. The winery is located next to a stream in a wooded, hilly area that the morning of our visit was in bloom with camilla's and magnolia trees. The sun was shining and it was a glorious location to taste wine and then drink the wines over lunch. We sampled 9 of their wines including some red Vinho Verde wines-vinhao (VIN-YOW)... and also Padeiro (PUH-DARE-OH)... both really remind me of Chambourcin-French-American hybrid we grow in Indiana. We drank the wines with lunch that started with broa (BRO-UH) bread (corn, rye, wheat grains made like Indiana cornbread. YUMEEE) with a tuna/onion/mayo spread--then salty oven roasted potatoes (like mini yukon gold's in flavor and density) and "cabbage" (turns out to be turnip green tops)-more like broccoli rabe... and goat and pig. (LOTS of goat and pig. The Portuguese LOVE their "other white meat") "

Vinho Verde wines are fresh, crisp, not too sweet, not too dry. They usually have a wee bit of "fizz" to them which cleanse the palate and perks the taste buds for the next sip of wine or bite of food. As State Fair season is upon us I think Vinho Verde with an ear of sweet corn or grilled pork chop would be a great way to combine the flavors of the past with the present. This and other Vinho Verdes retail for $10 or less and are available at wine shoppes throughout the Indy area.