Portugal ranks as the world’s 11th largest producer of wine; the country is 1st in the world in per capita consumption.
Although its fame in the world of wine rests squarely on the shoulders of two great fortified wines, the country is rapidly developing an arsenal of modern table wines, sourced from a diverse array of over 200 unique native varieties. Worldwide decline in the sales (and interest) of fortified wines has prompted Portuguese producers to look beyond Port and Madeira in an effort to compete, but years of geographical and—until the last decades of the 20th century—political isolation have left an inscrutable, perplexing vineyard terrain. Rather than adopt the same international varieties that characterize newer winemaking regions worldwide, Portuguese producers instead look to their own bounty of grapes and traditions. New research continues to identify the best indigenous varieties and clonal selections for quality table wines, and technological advancements in the winery allow Portugal’s table wines to overcome past criticisms of rapid oxidation and rusticity.
The history of wine in Portugal closely parallels that of its Iberian neighbor Spain through the Age of Exploration. Wine in Portugal predates the Phoenicians, Greeks, Celts, and Romans, each of whom arrived in turn prior to the Common Era. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the ensuing Germanic and Moorish conquests of the region frustrated—but did not eradicate—viticulture. Portugal expelled the Moors and affirmed its national identity by 1250, over two centuries before Spain would conclude
I was researching the Vinhão variety, and in the passage of vinho verde it mentioned the variety as a teinturier grape. While in my further reading on the variety I found that the variety as by wine-searcher"Although often thought to be a teinturier grape, because of the intense red color of its wines, Vinhao does not, in fact, have pigmented flesh; the deep violet-red hue of its wines is due to the strong pigmentation of its skin, and the ease with which this leaches out." I saw the same information on another site; I was wondering if the grape is categorized under the grape type due to style even though technically it is not? Please advise, thank you.
Dão dop:
Tinto
11% Cannot be released before May 15 following harvest
Tinto Reserva
11.5% 24 months
Tinto Garrafeira
11.5% 36 months (inc 12 months in bottle)
Tinto Nobre
12% 36 months
Tinto Nobre Reserva
12.5% 42 months
Tinto Nobre Garrafeira
12.5% 48 months (inc 9 months in bottle)
Branco
11% None
Branco Reserva
11.5% 6 months
Branco Garrafeira
11.5% 12 months (inc 6 months in bottle)
Branco Nobre
11.5% 12 months
Branco Nobre Reserva
12% 12 months
Branco Nobre Garrafeira
12% 18 months (inc 18 months in bottle)
Hi. The link at the end of "For further information on the fortified wines of Madeira, click here" doesn't work.
In what year were IPR's eliminated/upgraded? Was it also in 2009?
Matt can you recommend your favorite wine books on Portugal? I have read Richard Mayson's books and would like to see if there is anything else out there.
Thank you