LCBO Find: Vidigueira Antão Vaz 2024

With the heat of summer settling in, my fridge is all about whites that can stand up to a warm evening on the patio without falling flat. So when I want crisp, mineral, and sunshine-in-a-glass, I have been reaching past the usual suspects and pouring something from one of the hottest corners of wine-growing Europe. Enter the Vidigueira Antão Vaz 2024.

This is a beautiful, affordable Alentejo wine, made from Antão Vaz, the grape often called "the white grape of Alentejo," and it captures exactly why this region should not be overlooked for food-friendly white wines.

About Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira

Founded in its present form in 1960, Adega Cooperativa de Vidigueira, Cuba e Alvito is a grower-owned cooperative whose roots are deep in the history of the town of Vidigueira. That co-op model, pooling fruit from local member-growers, is a big part of why this wine overdelivers so dramatically for the price.

What I love most is that this is a winery with genuine heritage. They have stayed faithful to the ancient art of talha winemaking, fermenting in large clay amphorae using a technique that traces back to Roman times, drawn from century-old bush vines. They have leaned so far into preserving the craft that they opened a dedicated visitor space, the Casa das Talhas, in 2019.

While Alentejo is famous for big reds and serious heat, this expression of the coops Antão Vaz (bright, with fresh acidity) is made possible because the vines in Vidigueira sit in a sweet spot where cool air sliding down off the Serra do Portel escarpment, along with the region's relative closeness to the coast, tempers that heat. That is exactly why this one sub-region has a white-wine tradition when the rest of Alentejo leans red, and why old Antão Vaz vines are found here and almost nowhere else.

About the Vidigueira Antão Vaz 2024

In the glass, you see a light golden colour attributed to this grapes thick skin a trait that then comes back to add depth on the palate.

On the nose, you get lifted lemon, pear and orchard fruit with generous tropical notes like banana and papaya, followed by flint.

On the palate, it is fresh and medium-bodied at the same time, with crisp apple, anise, and kiwi fruit, a juicy citrus core, and well-integrated acidity that keeps everything bright.

With a medium finish in length, the Vidigueira Antão Vaz 2024 leaves you with a clean and refreshing impact and at only 12.5% ABV. It is easy-drinking wine that is not shy when introduced to food.

You can find the Vidigueira Antão Vaz 2024 at the LCBO for $16.95. You won't be disappointed as this is a wine that definitely punches well above its price.