Verdejo White Wine Variety

Verdejo is a high quality Spanish white wine variety now used in Australia.

Verdejo and Verdelho: What's the difference?

Descriptors of Verdejo white wine variety from De Long's Wine Grape Varietal Table

Many grape varieties have similar names.  This is doubly confusing when we consider that most varieties have multiple synonyms, especially old varieties and those which are grown over a wide geographic distribution.

The case of Verdejo is a good example of how you can be misled.

Verdejo is not related to the Portuguese wine variety Verdelho, which is much more commonly grown in Australia. There are other similarly named varieties as well. 

Here are a few wines whose primary name is "Verd-"

Verdea is a variety grown in the Lombardy region both for table grapes and white wine.

Verdeca is a minor variety in Puglia, but is also grown in Greece.

Verdejo Serrano is a genetically distinct variety grown in the Salamanca Province of Spain.

Verdello is an Umbrian variety whose high acidity is valued for blending purposes. 

Vedesse is a highly regarded aromatic variety in SW France.

Verdicchio Bianco from Veneto is an important variety in Central and Northern Italy.

Verdiso is a versatile variety from Veneto.

Verdoncho is a minor variety used mainly for blending in Spain.

Verduzzo Friulano is an important white wine variety from NE Italy.

Verdejo Negro is one of the several synonyms of the Bastardo. variety.

Verdelho is best known for the production of aromatic dry white wines in the Rueda Wine Region north-west of Madrid. Small amounts are grown in other regions of Spain, but very little elsewhere.

As Spain moves more towards production of quality wines the area of Verdejo is growing at the expense of lesser quality varieties.

The Verdejo variety is a newcomer to the varietal wine scene in Australia. Just a handful of winemakers have released wine. It is thus a 'Rare Ozzies' wine and is included in the book Rare Ozzies.  You can find more of these varieties by searching for the term #rareozzies either in your favourite social media platform or search engine.

Bassham Verdejo from the Riverland. Image via Dan Traucki

Australian WIneries using Verdejo

• Bassham Wines Riverland
• Cirami Estate Riverland
• Dell'uva Wines  Barossa Valley
• Feathertop Alpine Valleys
• Millbrook Winery Perth Hills
• Sanguine Estate Heathcote
• Trentham Estate Perth Hills
• Plume Murray Darling
• Vanguardist Clare Valley
• Wise Wine Margaret River
• Yalumba Wine Company Eden Valley

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