Wines and Wineries of Portugal
The most famous wine region in Portugal is quite clearly Port, aged in spectacularly beautiful lodges in Vilanova de Gaia, in atmospheric Oporto (north of the capital Lisbon). The Port lodges (where the wines are aged after vinification in the wineries along the Douro further inland) are located magnificently on the banks of the great Douro River. Oporto in northern Portugal is well known for its characteristic wine sailboats, the “Barcos Rabelos”, which used to ship Port downstream from the vineyards. The journey was actually quite dangerous, but even despite the introduction of the Port train in the late 1800’s, the Barcos Rabelos continued to be used for transporting Port until the 1960’s. These days, the famous boats are used for an annual race, held in Oporto in June every year.
Port Winemaking Process and Port Wine Styles
Port has such a high alcohol content (usually 19-20%) because of the addition of a neutral grape brandy during the fermentation process. This fortifies (gives more alcohol to) the wine, and stops the fermentation thereby allowing the natural sugars to remain, hence the sweetness of Port wine. The Port vineyards are located in the Douro Valley, spectacularly beautiful, in the north of Portugal. After the grapes are vinified, they are transported downstream to Vilanova de Gaia in oporto, and aged in the Port Lodges. There are many styles of Port including white, ruby, crusted and LVB.
White Port- Made the same way as Red port, only using the white grapes allowed in the production of Port, which may include Malvasia Fina and Codega grape varietals. Grapes used for production of Red Port wine include: Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca ,Tinta Roriz ,Touriga Francesa, and Tinto Cao. Ruby Port- Port made for easy drinking style and quick consumption after bottling, it’s a blend of various vintages (years) and bottled young (in Port terms, which may be 3-6 years). Crusted Port- made from several vintages, it is a modern invention, created by British Port shippers. As the wines are bottles without filtration (more pure), the Port “throws a crust” and needs to be decanted. LBV Port- Late Bottled Vintage. It is a port wine made form one single year. After spending 4-6 years being aged in wooden “pipes”, they are bottled. Aged Tawny Port- very classy Port made with the best grapes from the best vineyards from good years. It gets its distinctive amber-orange color because instead of being bottled young, it is left to age for nearly 10 years in wooden casks, which changes and softens the color.
Funny anecdotes about Port: One of the grapes used in Port production is called “Bastardo” and another grape, “Esgana Cao”, is translated into English as “Dog Strangler”.
Vinho Verde
This wine region is located in the north of Portugal, nearly to Spain’s Galiciia region, and is a region known for light white wines (they are called “green” for their youth and vivacity) and a small production of light red wines. There are more than 60,000 grape growers of Vinho Verde in the Minho region alone, and most of these are farmers who also cultivate cabbage, corn, beans, etc. Because of so many growers, manily selling to local co-cops, the quality of Vinho Verde has always been “rustic”. However, there are some conscientious wineries making increasingly better wines. Top wineries include Morgadio de Torre, Casa de Sezim, Ponte de Lima, Palacio da Brejoeira and Quinta de Franquiera, all of which are single “Quinta” estates. The principal grapes used in the production of Vinho Verde are Alvarinho (related to Galicia’s famed “Albariño”), Loureiro, Arinto, Trajadura, Avesso, Azal, Brancelho and Espadeiro. The best known style of Vinho Verde is the bone dry, slightly sparkling white wine with a high percentage of Alvarinho and Loureiro.
Dão
Dão is located in the mountainous north of Portugal. This principally red wine region is known as a source of good value, some would say “cheap and cheerful” full-bodied wines. Dão wines are known as being earthy, dry, sometimes lacking in fruit (although this is improving with increased attention to quality in the region) and a touch spicy. Top brands include Jose Maria Fonseca, Duque de Viseu, Campos da Silva and Casa da Insua. The main grape varieties used for the production of wines in the region include Alfrocheiro Preto, Bastardo, Cercial, Jjaen, Touriga Nacional and Tempranillo (Spain’s noble grape). The trend in winemaking in Dão is towards a dramatic improvement in the red wines, with stainless steel vats being used for the first time in some wineries and longer oak ageing, giving the reds more character and depth.
Alentejo and Setúbal
The closest wine regions to Lisbon include the Alentejo and the Setúbal Peninsula (southeast of Lisbon, encompassing the wines of Bucelas, Colares and Carcavelos). The most traditional wine from Setúbal is the sweet Moscatel de Setúbal, quoted by wine expert Hugh Johnson as “rudely robust”. It has certainly fallen out of favor since its heyday as the darling wine of the Portuguese nobility. The wine region of Alentejo, however, is swiftly gaining new room in the market thanks to serious investment, modern technology, and a wave of inspired and trained winemakers. Traditional Alentejo Grape varietals include: Abundante, Arinto, Moreto, and Aragonez (a clone of Spain’s Tempranillo). Alentejo wineries include: Jose de Sousa, Quinta do Carmo, Cortes de Cima and JP Vinhos. Perhaps our favorite winery, though, is the oldest winery in the area, Herdade de Esporão, a gorgeous estate with over 700 years of history. Esporão is one of the Portuguese leaders in wine tourism and has set up facilities like an atmospheric restaurant and organized wine tours of the estate.
