The subregion of Monção – Melgaço is renowned for the top-quality white wines made with Alvarinho grape variety… but this is not the only reason for one of the Portugal’s most charismatic winemakers to venture out of the Douro Valley, where he has his base and his humble winery. ‘Granito Cru’ Vinho Verde completes the series of the soil driven wines, in which Luis Seabra invites us to explore the place as much as the grape variety. The fruit for this special white comes from three parcels of vines planted on sandy, decomposed granite – a single soil rather than ‘single vineyard’ Alvarinho. Elaborated in a mix of large format oval vats of eastern European origin (1000, 2000 and 3000 litres) with full malolactic conversion completed over winter, this is a characterful, unique wine which will make you think ‘outside of the box’.