Anselmo Mendes is a Portuguese winemaker based in the Minho region, operating within the Vinho Verde DOC in northwestern Portugal. The producer focuses on creating wines from both indigenous Portuguese grape varieties and international cultivars, working within one of Portugal's most distinctive wine regions known for its fresh, light style of wine production.
Vinho Verde as a region is characterized by its Atlantic maritime influence, granite and schist soils, and a climate that produces naturally high-acidity wines. The denomination traditionally emphasizes fresh, lower-alcohol wines with bright acidity, though modern producers have expanded the stylistic range significantly. The region's unique terroir, with its cool, humid conditions and mineral-rich soils, creates ideal conditions for producing wines with distinctive freshness and aromatic complexity.
Mendes works with Alvarinho (Albariño), a grape variety that has become increasingly important in the Vinho Verde region, particularly in the Monção e Melgaço subregion. The current range includes orange wine production, representing a skin-contact winemaking approach that extracts additional tannins and complexity from white grape varieties, demonstrating a more contemporary interpretation of traditional Vinho Verde winemaking.
