Vinho Verde and other low-alcohol, high acid white wines are gaining steam at the beverage alcohol retail tier. “Over the last 12 months, I’ve seen a natural trend toward Vinho Verde, and I’ve been slowly ramping up,” says Armando Luis, owner and wine director of Sparrow Wine & Liquor Co.’s two stores in Hoboken, New Jersey. “The historic criticism of Vinho Verde is it lacked flavor intensity. Consumers are no longer looking for those heavy flavors. They’re looking for lighter, more austere flavors, and they love the low-alcohol approach.”

Other light white wines such as Alvarinho, Reisling, Austria’s Gruner Veltliner, and Txakoli from the Basque Country in Spain are also trending up in the two Sparrow stores. “I’m always looking for themes to promote on the website and light, low-alcohol white wines are something I’ve been working on,” he says. “If you say, ‘low alcohol’ to a customer, you’re halfway there. The industry needs to grab that angle because it’s consistent with trends toward lower-alcohol products. They’re easy sells, especially in the summer, and those wines have gotten a lot better in recent years.”

Vinho Verde and other low-alcohol white wines are also gaining traction at Frugal MacDoogal in Nashville, Tennessee. “Next to sparkling wine, the category we call ‘imported whites’ is showing the most growth of any category, and Vinho Verde has a lot to do with that,” says store wine buyer Preston Hunt. “Vinho Verde wines are trending slightly up, and I expect the trend to continue, but mostly expand to the greater category of refreshing white wines.”

Hunt notes Vinho Verde’s surge appears to be part of a larger movement toward high acid, crisp, lower-alcohol white wines. “These wines include some Alberino, Austrian blends, Gruner Veltliner, Pinot Blanc, Spanish white blends, American, and New Zealand low alcohol Sauvignon Blanc, Torrontés, Picpoule, and dry Riesling,” Hunt says. “Refreshing white wine, including sparklers, are by far the most popular wines of any category.”

Broadbent and Gazela (both $10 a 750-ml.) dominate Vinho Verde sales at Frugal MacDoogal. “We pitch white wines like Vinho Verde as great alternatives to RTDs,” Hunt says. “These wines are made to be drunk cold, pool side, with friends on a hot day and that’s the story we try to sell.”

Meanwhile, top- selling Vinho Verde wines at Sparrow include Quinta da Graca da Pedra Alvarinho ($20 a 750-ml.), Foral de Melgaco Alvarinho, ($15 a 750-ml.), Broadbrent ($11), and Castal Garcia ($9). “I’m trying to take my customers drinking Vinho Verde at the very low end of the wine scale, show them how good these wines can be, and move them up to better wines at $15,” Luis says. “That is a very easy price point. For Vinho Verde, it’s mid-range. For almost everything else, $15 is entry level.”

Luis began promoting Vinho Verde wines with banner ads on Sparrow’s website this spring and is taking support to the next level with the recent release of an Instagram Reel promoting Foral de Melgaco Alvarinho. “Going into the summer, it makes sense,” he says.

After just having traveled throughout the Vinho Verde region in Portugal, Luis is particularly excited about the wines. “A lot of people think Vinho Verde is wine made from green, unripe grapes. It’s not true,” he explains. “It means wine from the green country. I just drove through the area from Porto up to the Spanish border along the Douro River. The Douro River Valley is very lush, very green. The wines have low alcohol because it’s very cool.”

Vinho Verde’s natural effervescence is a plus. “They are great wines for a young, adult crowd,” Luis says. “Vinho Verde is a flavorful, natural wine spritzer. They are very high quality for the money and very refreshing. They are right up the alley of what customers are looking for. It’s a great match for summer salads, crab meat salads, and sushi.”

Vinho Verde sales are growing with all demographics at Frugal MacDoogal. “Approachability and affordability are everything in this climate, no matter the demographic,” Hunt says. “Older folks are adding some to their cart full of Chardonnay and Champagne and younger folk are adding some to their cart of High Noon ($12 a four-pack of 12-ounce cans) and Tequila. We sold more wine from our ‘imported white’ category, which doesn’t even include sparkling wine or Chardonnay, than we did Cabernet Sauvignon.”

Hunt expects sales of Vinho Verde and other light white wines to remain solid. “Vinho Verde and other lower abv wines will continue holding market share but not grow much more than they already have,” he says. “Most consumers will continue to branch out and explore high acid white wines. Many of the low alcohol and no alcohol trends are beginning to pass. Most people are drawn to Vinho Verde, not because of its lower alcohol content, but because of its price and refreshing style.”

Luis believes Vinho Verde wines are just beginning to hit their stride in the U.S. “I’m doubling sales from a small base, and I expect to quadruple my sales for the year,” he says. “It’s partly because it is a small base, but also because I am so excited about it. We don’t have a big Portuguese section in my stores, but we will soon.”