Minho, vinho regional in north-west Portugal named after the Minho province, itself named after the river (called Miño in Spain with which it forms the boundary—see map under portugal).
Its boundaries are identical to those of vinho verde dop but producers may use different grape varieties and make wines with higher levels of alcohol than the usual Vinho Verde maximum of 11.5%. If produced other than in the monção and melgaço subregion, the popular variety alvarinho must be labelled Minho. Some producers prefer Minho to vinho verde because of the latter’s historic reputation for low-quality wines.
