Portuguese wine

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Douro Valley to the cellars near the city of Porto
.

Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the

Douro Valley Wine Region (Douro Vinhateiro) and Pico Island Wine Region (Ilha do Pico Vinhateira). Portugal has a big variety of local kinds, producing a very wide variety of different wines with distinctive personality.[citation needed
]

History

Main article: History of Portuguese wine
"cupa", Roman tombstones in the shape of wine barrels, were used in the 3rd century AD in Alentejo, Museu de Évora

In southern Iberian Peninsula, some archeological finds attest that the consumption of wine occurred around the 7th to the 6th century B.C. and production started in the 5th to the 4th century B.C.[1] Romans did much to expand and promote viticulture in their settlements in the province of Lusitania, most especially Portuguese Estremadura and the south of Portugal. In Northern Portugal, and according to the current knowledge, wine-making started with Roman rule. Strabo notices that the indigenous peoples in Northern Portugal mostly consumed zhytos (a form of beer) and wine was rarely produced or consumed; the wine, of low production, was immediately consumed in family banquets, all orderly sited and consuming by age and status, proving that wine was a fascination to them.[1] Wines were then produced across the territory for both local consumption as well as export to Rome.[2][3]

During the

Tavira) was finally demarcated. In 1998, the Alentejo region was demarked by the gathering several smaller demarked regions created in 1995.[citation needed
]

Grapes

Vineyards in Vinho Verde Demarcated Region in Minho, Portugal

Portugal has a large array of native varietals, producing an abundant variety of different wines. The wide array of Portuguese grape varietals contributes as significantly as the soil and climate to wine differentiation, producing distinctive wines from the Northern regions to

Madeira Islands, and from Algarve to the Azores. In Portugal only some grape varietals or castas are authorized or endorsed in the Demarcated regions, such as:[citation needed
]

Appellation system

Main article: Denominação de Origem Controlada

The appellation system of the Douro region was created nearly two hundred years before that of

microclimates, soils and proper technology.[citation needed
]

Official designations:

  • Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) or VQPRD - Vinho de Qualidade Produzido em Região Demarcada
    • These are the most protected wine and indicates a specific vineyard, such as Port Wine, Vinhos Verdes, and Alentejo Wines. These wines are labeled D.O.C. (Denominação de Origem Controlada) which secures a superior quality.
  • Wines that have more regulations placed upon them but are not in a DOC region fall under the category of Indicação de Proveniência Regulamentada (IPR, Indication of Regulated Provenance)
  • Regional Wine - Vinho Regional Carries with it a specific region within Portugal.
  • Table Wines - Vinho de Mesa carries with it only the producer and the designation that it's from Portugal.

Wine regions

  • Vinho Verde: This region is mainly in the Minho province, and is in the extreme north-west of Portugal. There are six areas :
  1. Monção
  2. Lima
  3. Braga
  4. Penafiel
  5. Basto
  6. Amarante

Vinho Verde derived its name from the fact that the grapes used are 'green' meaning slightly under-ripe. Vinho Verde wines are now largely exported, and are the most exported Portuguese wines after the

Vinho Alvarinho which is a special variety of white Vinho Verde, the production of Alvarinho is restricted by EU law to a small sub-region of Monção, in the northern part of the Minho region in Portugal. It has more alcohol (11.5 to 13%) than the other varieties (8 to 11.5%).[citation needed
]

  • Douro wine (Vinho do Douro) originates from the same region as port wines. In the past they were considered to be a bitter tasting wine. In order to prevent spoilage during the voyage from Portugal to England, the English decided to add a Portuguese wine brandy known as aguardente. The first documented commercial transactions appearing in registries of export date as far back as 1679. Today's Douro table wines are enjoying growing favor in the world, maintaining many traits that are reminiscent of a port wine.[citation needed
    ]
  • continental influences.[citation needed
    ]
  • Bairrada wine, is produced in the Região Demarcada da Bairrada. The name "Bairrada" comes from the Portuguese word "barro" meaning "clay", due to the clayey soils of the region. Although the region was classified in 1979, it is an ancient vineyard region. The vines grow exposed to the sun, favouring the further maturity of the grapes. The Baga casta is intensely used in the wines of the region. The Bairrada region produces table, white and red wines. Yet, it is notable for its sparkling natural wine.[citation needed
    ]
  • Alentejo wine is produced from grapes planted in vast vineyards extending over rolling plains under the sun which shines on the grapes and ripens them for the production. Some producers of this region still do wine in great potteries as in Roman times.[3]
  • Colares wine is type of wine produced in sandy soils outside Lisbon between the foothills of Sintra and Roca Cape. Because of Lisbon's urban sprawl, the lands available for vineyards became so small, that the demands has always been higher than the production, making it one of the most expensive Portuguese wines.[citation needed
    ]

Port

A glass of tawny port
Port wine cellar

World Heritage by UNESCO.[4] The wine is exported from the city of Porto, thus acquiring the name Porto (or "Port" in English-speaking countries). There are several varieties of Port wine: some of the most popular are the Tawny, White, Ruby, and Late Bottled Vintage (L.B.V.). Wine cellars where port wine is stored to mature can be visited all year around in order to get information about the history of Port Wine and the Douro region.[5][6]

Moscatel

Moscatel is a liqueurous wine from the Setúbal Peninsula. Although the region has produced wines since the dawn of nationality, it was in 1797 that the wines of Setúbal were first mentioned. There is another variety of Moscatel wine, the "Moscatel de Favaios", in the Região Demarcada do Douro, it is made from a different casta, and the "Galego" (white), while Moscatel Roxo is made upon a casta with the same name as the wine.[citation needed
]

Some Portuguese wine terms

A colheita vintage tawny Port.
  • Adega: Winery
  • Branco: White
  • Casta: Grape variety
  • Colheita: Vintage year
  • Doce: Sweet
  • Espumante: Sparkling wine
  • Garrafeira: A reserva red wine aged at least two years in a barrel and one year in a bottle; a white wine aged at least six months in a barrel and six months in a bottle.
  • Maduro: Mature (in opposition to verde). Mature wines are Portuguese wines produced in all regions except the ones produced in Vinho Verde region; due to this, the term "maduro" rarely appears on bottles.
  • Quinta: Vineyard
  • Reserva: Superior quality wine of a single vintage
  • Seco: Dry
  • Tinto: Red
  • Verde: Green (in opposition to maduro). Wines produced in Vinho Verde region with a distinctive method.
  • Vinho: Wine

Export

Wine has been one of the most noted Portuguese exports. The country is the seventh largest exporter of the product worldwide, by value.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "O vinho na antiguidade clássica - Alguns apontamentos sobre Lousada" (PDF) (in Portuguese). Oppidum. Archived from the original (PDF) on September 14, 2018. Retrieved May 24, 2017.
  2. ISBN 0-19-860990-6
    .
  3. ^ a b SILVA, A. J. M. (2014). (19) "Les vins au goût d'argile : anatomie d'une tradition plurimillénaire. Le cas d'étude portugais du vin de talha", 138e Congrès des Sociétés Historiques et Scientifiques : Se nourrir, pratiques et stratégies alimentaires (Rennes, 22–26 April 2013) (pdf). Rennes: Éditions SHS.
  4. ^ "Alto Douro Wine Region". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. Archived from the original on 2023-08-01. Retrieved 2023-09-18.
  5. ^ Ames, Paul (2016-08-02). "The world's most stunning wine region?". CNN Travel. Retrieved 2019-09-09.
  6. ^ "Caves do Vinho do Porto - AEVP". Oporto Guide. Retrieved 2019-09-09.

External links