The 2007 ALVARINHO “RESERVA—QUINTA DE SOALHEIRO”is a fascinating wine for this region, big (13%), penetrating …and woody. It is a little jarring to drink this in a Vinho Verde flight, as it seems rather out of place even though the oak treatment was moderate—6 months in minimum toast, old oak, I’m told. Taken on its own, it can be quite impressive, and given the way wines from this producer tend to age, it should have time to integrate the oak more fully. I should note that as a result of the type of oak treatment it had, there is none of that sweet or heavy “vanilla” overlay one often gets; the oak here is as close to flavor neutral as possible. However, it certainly changes the wine’s character, taking it from a crisp, invigorating, acid-dominated wine (like the Branco reviewed this issue) into something sterner and more brooding. This won’t be everyone’s vision of Vinho Verde, but it does stand as an interesting wine in its own right. Drink now-2016. Notwithstanding the track record here for aging, these are the types of wines that often do not travel well and that merit some conservatism in a published drinking window. They may well last longer.Importer: Aidil Wines & Liquors, a division of Olde World Imports, Inc., Rahway, NJ; tel. (973) 642-0044