Vinaceous 2009 Divine Light Verdelho

Ahhh Verdelho, normally my arch nemesis as too many wine makers persist to make a horribly sweet style that just loses any sort of goodness in the sweetness, but as in my previous post I will work through Vinaceous' range eventually as I do really like the whole concept. Now with this unfortunately my local retailer only has the 2009 Verdelho but until the 2010 becomes available this will do for me.

Wonderfully clear with pale lemon tinges this wine almost looks like water in the glass. Lovely lime and tropical nose with a distinct minerality that I'm not used to from a Verdelho. Clean and fresh palate that has slightly unbalance acid, zesty citrus and that minerality again. The finish is clean and short which is slightly disappointing but that acid leaves a sourness on the palate that does linger, best of all there isn't even a hint of sweetness to ruin the fruity goodness of this wine.

Basically it's not a sweet Verdelho, it is a really interesting clean crisp Verdelho with some interesting tropical fruit that you wouldn't necessarily expect.

A post on another site I have found says this vintage got 86 Parker points and I'd have to agree at a 8.5 losing points for balance and lack of fruit, saying that its still a very interesting wine and most reviews have been fairly positive, perhaps because most of the sites are trying to sell the wine who knows.

At $20 this is a good little experience, you can probably find it a little cheaper but you definitely not being ripped off, again I can't really find it online unless it's in the states which appears to be a big market for Vinaceous.

I'd have to say that this Verdelho has broadened my horizons and opened my eyes, I'll definitely be more open to trying this varietal in the future, well done and thank you Michael (Kegs) Kerrigan - Winemaker. Do you normally hate Verdelho? Yes? Go grab a bottle of Divine Light and give it a shot, I found it well worth it. Good luck and happy drinking