Portugal

Located only 90 minutes east of Lisbon, this region is very different from Portugal’s other important wine growing areas. With vast open fields of wheat, cork trees dotting the landscape and wonderfully preserved medieval towns crowning small hills, vineyards are hard to find at first glance. Winemaking has a long but turbulent history in the Alentejo. From the 1920’s to the 70’s many vineyards were ripped out and planted with wheat to make this area the breadbasket for Portugal. To make matters worse, in the mid-70’s many of the remaining estates were confiscated by local workers and run as cooperative and renamed as the April 25th or Red Star Cooperative. The properties were returned to their rightful owners in the early 80’s who have led a quality revolution and now deliver excellent value wines to consumers.

This area lies just to the north of the Coimbra (the capital of Portugal in the 14th Century) and a short distance inland from the Atlantic coast. It’s a unique wine growing area that is dominated by the single grape variety the Baga or Berry. Over 70% of the areas production comes from this grape and much of the remaining white grape production is turned into espumante (sparkling wine). While wine has been produced here since the Roman times, the weather is a constant challenge to growers. But in good years, when the grapes fully ripen, producers make some of Portugal’s best red wines. Many of these wines are made following age-old techniques by treading the grapes (stems and all) and fermenting the wine in stone lagares. Under these conditions traditional red Bairrada wines compare very favorably to good California Zinfandels.

Dão is located in the northern centre of Portugal just south of the Douro Valley. Surrounded by the Caramulo, Montemuro, Buaco and Estrela mountain ranges this region is protected from extreme weather elements. The vines themselves are located at a moderate altitude of between 1500 to 2500 feet on shallow granite and schist soils. The Atlantic to the West and dry interior to the East provide excellent dry summers for ripening grapes, and cold rainy winters to help replenish the vines. Until the mid 1980's, when Portugal joined the EEC, most of the production was done by cooperative wineries. Many small land holders would bring their small production of grapes to the central winery of the region and a wine would be produced and sold to larger companies. After Portugal joined the EEC many of these small producers and cooperatives modernized their wineries or invested in new space and hence the system we see today exists: Many smaller farmers producing their own wines from their own land. The vines in the Dão are made up of many different indigenous varieties. Touriga Nacional, Alfrocheiro, Jaen and Tinta Roriz for red wines, and Encruzado, Bical, Cercial, Malvasia Fina and Verdelho for whites. The white wines of this region tend to be very aromatic, fruity and balanced. The reds are full bodied, layered and may become complex after ageing in bottle.

Home to Port, the world’s first branded wine, this area straddles the Douro River (just downstream from Ribera del Duero in neighboring Spain). This is the most rugged winegrowing region in Portugal – if not the world! The terrain is too steep and barren to grow anything but vines. This unique winegrowing region produces some of Portugal's best red table wines. The combination of climate, indigenous grape varieties and low yields produce inky, opaque wines with great structure and ageing potential. It took a change in the law in 1986 allowing Douro producers to export their own product to unleash this potential. Now each vintage produces additional world-class wines grown by producers who are committed to innovation, quality and fine wine.

The Costa Verde (green coast) lies north of Oporto and borders North West Spain and Galicia – the region known for Albarino. Not surprisingly the same grape (Alvarinho) is grown throughout this region as well. This is the largest DOC in Portugal and has long been known for its green-tinged whites. The name refers not to the color of the wine, but the need to drink them when they are still young and they are excellent with seafood. Like other regions with a long history of wine production (wines were exported to England in the 16th Century) this area has seen a revival in small-scale production since the early eighties. While there are still literally thousands of producers scattered throughout the region mostly making wine for family and friends, a small but growing band of producers are turning out excellent wines for export once more.

Adjoining the Alentejo, the Ribatejo has long been Portugal’s agricultural heartland with some the largest and most prosperous estates found along the Tagus River. It is the second only to the Oeste in the amount of wine produced each year. The average vineyard holding is over three times that of the Vihno Verde, but averaging only three acres, these landholdings are still very small compared to most other wine growing regions. The best wines come from the less fertile charneca (“heathland”) area which is also home to bullfighting and hunting. There are also some well established vineyards developed with French influence in the 50’s planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.