Many of Portugal's vineyards are situated the Atlantic coastline, where conditions are wet and cool. Grapes grown here are fairly difficult to ripen, resulting in light, high-acid wines like Vinho Verde. Further inland, the climate is considerably sunnier and warmer, with lighter rainfall, and is home for an increasingly good range of red wines.
 |
Location
Portugal occupies a long narrow strip down the western seaboard of
the Iberian Peninsula.
Grapes
- Red: Albariño, Touriga Nacional,
and Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo)
- White: Alvarinho, Arinto and Esgana
Cao
Look Out For
- Tinto: red wine
- Branco: white wine
- Vinho Verde: a young, acid wine, often
fizzy from malolactic fermentation in the bottle
- Garrafeira:
matured wine (the terms Maduro or Reserva are also used)
|
The secret of Portugal's distinctive wines is its abundance of indigenous grapes. Portuguese winemakers have refrained from widespread production of the popular grape varieties like Chardonnay and Merlot, and plant varieties barely known outside of Portugal.
The reds have unique flavours of chocolate, damson, cherries and vanilla; soft and juicy, yet slightly sour. In general, the whites are less exciting, but they can be fresh and attractive. However, Portugal does produce some very serious whites that age to gain rich, dry flavours of honey and lanolin. They come from individual quality-conscious producers rather than any particular region.
Vinho Verde, Douro, Dão and Bairrada are from the North, but the upcoming regions are further south in Ribatejo and Alentejo.
Alentejo and Ribatejo
There has been a surge in serious new estates in this sunny Southeast area, where they are producing flavoursome wines from the soft to serious barrel-aged examples. Both red and white are worth trying.
Dão and Bairrada
The red wines from these areas have a more austere flavour, but are still brimming with raspberry and blackberry fruit.
Douro
Good reds come from the Douro Valley, where they would normally be fortified and turned into port. It produces a high quality fruity red with some of the tannic backbone of Port. Aromatic whites are also produced.
Vinho Verde
Portugal's most distinctive white table wine is Vinho Verde. Although red and white Vinho Verde is made, it is only the white that is exported in any volume. "Verde" means "green", which refers to the fact that this is young wine, and not meant for cellaring. It can be rather acidic, but the best Vinho Verde is bone dry and pungent with apricots and laurel, and has piercing acidity.
Portuguese wines are very different, as their producers resist the market forces that seem to have standardised winemaking all over the world. They are also cheap. A few purchases of inexpensive Portuguese wines made from their mysterious grape varieties may allow you to uncover an unusual treasure at a very good price.
Favourites (IE)
Print This
Email This
