So what’s Vinho Verde? You may be forgiven for thinking it is a light, sweetish style of Portuguese white wine with lowish alcohol and a slight spritz. You’d be right and wrong, for Vinho Verde is much more than that. Actually it’s not a style, but a large wine region in the north of Portugal which, until the Duoro embarked on on a frenzy of new plantings, was the largest producer of wine in Portugal. The region is fertile, coolish and wet and as such is also really rather green.

Vinho Verde may also be a measure of age. Not so long ago the locals bought green (young) or maduro (mature) wine. Simple, until the term was adopted for a style of wine… and this version of Vinho Verde has become the ubiquitous export found in many a wine bar and lurking towards the bottom end of wine lists.

So there is nothing traditional about this easy quaffing style. Post war the region was planted almost entirely in red varieties, notably Vinhao, also known as Sousao in the Douro where it is included in Port for its high acid and deep colour. It still contributes substantially to production in Vinho Verde in the form of rather tart, thin red wines which are deceptively deep in colour.

Yes, in many ways Vinho Verde is not what it seems. This became quickly apparent when I pitched up in a room in Mayfair to taste a selection. The UK has a pretty experimental wine consumer, but even in Blighty, Portuguese wine represents just 2% of the wine market and that’s including our old friend Port. So while Vinho Verde’s real story is one of diversity, it’s a hard story to sell.

Let me try. First of all there are several grape varieties, the most interesting of which are Alvarinho a fine and mineral variety and Lourerio used in the quaffing Vinho Verde style for its fresh acidity, aromatics and light character.

By chance I alighted first at a table with just one wine from Quinta de Golaes – Valados de Melgaço. It was a good start. This was a single varietal Alvarinho from the subregion of Melgaço which is in the North nudging the Spanish boarder. As I tasted around room, it became apparent that the Northern sub-region of Monçao e Melgaço is the top spot for the grape Alvarinho.

This sub-region is in a bit of a rain shadow and protected from the Atlantic influence by hills. Here the temperature rises to 30 degrees during the day in August and plummets to a cool 12 degrees at night. Good news as the Vinho Verde is not the easiest region in which to ripen grapes. All the Vinho Verde varietals I tried have pretty serous acidity. Now I like acidity, love it in fact as long as it’s balanced with sufficient depth of fruit.

Valados de Melgaga was a fine example of well balanced wine. It has Alvarinho’s floral, peachy perfume. The palate was fresh and bright with citrus notes. The minerality of the soil showed on the finish. Alvarinho likes the granitic soils here. The vines are on a sight slope on the bank of the River Minho lightly terraced and facing south/ south west. Lovely.

Quinta de Soalheiro is well established as a top notch name in the region. Soalheiro Alvarinho 2015 had a distinct kaffir line leaf note and was neatly edged and mineral. It particularly liked this wine – so zesty and lively. The typical note of lychee is also present and it finishes on minerality.

Wines such as these will pitch your pre-conceptions of light, sweet pétillant Vinho Verde into the mud. This more sophisticated style has around 12-12.5%, is not lightly fizzy and has no discernible sweetness.

The past decade has seen popularity of barrel aged Alvarinho. Quinta de Soalheiro ferment grapes from their oldest vines in barrel which adds a creamy note to the Primeiras Vinhas. The lees ageing gives richness. It has a spicy depth and bite. The 2014 needs some time in bottle. They also make a Reserva which is dense and quite rich. It’s a different take on Alvarinho to make a more complex wine. It’s a good wine and the terroir comes through in the minerality, but I’m not quite convinced by the influence of the oak ageing on Alvarinho. This is put in a Burgundy style bottle rather than flute.

Pursuing the theme of diversity, Quinta de Soalheiro also had a couple of cracking traditional method sparking wines with a year on lees. (The DOC permitted sparkling wines in 1999). The rosé was my favourite for its floral pretty pink aroma, fresh palate and a touch of grip. This is worth seeking out.