white grape · regional staple
Loureiro
Lima Valley (Vale do Lima), Minho, Portugal
Say it
loh·ray·roo
Name means 'laurel tree' in Portuguese and Galician; final -o reduces to 'oo' in English usage.
On the palate
lemonlimewhite peachorange blossomgreen applelaurel leaf
How you spot it blind: Diagnostic bay leaf / laurel lift unmatched in any other Atlantic white
The story
First written down · late 18th century, Melgaço and Vila Nova de Cerveira, Portugal
DNA analysis confirmed Loureiro as a cross of Amaral × Branco Escola; before the late 20th century its cultivation was largely confined to Portugal's Vale do Lima.
Family tree: Amaral × Branco Escola
Where it lives
Vinho Verde DOC, Portugal · Rías Baixas DO, Spain (as Loureira)
Shows up as
still whiteVinho Verde