Portugal

PORTUGAL
Portugal comprises a narrow coastal plain which rises steeply to mountainous inland regions.Prevailing south westerly winds bring rain during the winter months and the summers tend to be fairly warm. Red, white and rosé wines are made mainly from indigenous grape varieties.

QUALITY GRADING
As with other EC countries, the wines of Portugal are divided into Table Wines or Vinhos de Mesa and quality wines. Quality Wines are divided into two which are labelled respectively: Indicação de Preveniência Regulamentada (IPY) Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) The latter being the equivalent of the Italian DOC. Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) has recently superseded Região Demarcada which can still be seen on some older labels.

MAIN REGIONS

Vinho Verde
A light, acidic, slightly pétillant and appealing wine produced in the north west of Portugal. The name means Green Wine, a reference to its extreme youth rather than its colour. It is produced in the lush countryside inland from the coast, and north of the city of Opporto, in the province of Minho-é-Douro. It is made from a blend of local varieties and can be either red or white.The Vinho Verde DOC region is Portugal's largest demarcated wine region.

Dão
The region of Dão takes its name from a river. The Dão lies south of the Douro valley around the old cathedral city of Viseu in north central Portugal. It is wild, unspoiled country, with spectacular vineyards terraced on granite slopes. Dão has has the reputation of producing some of the country's best reds, which are particularly suited to ageing. There is also a small amount of nondescript white wine produced.

Bairrada
A wine region in the north of the country lying between the Dão region and the Atlantic coast. Most of the wines are red and made principally from the Baga grape, which produces rich, dark wines which can suffer from an excess of tannins. However, styles are changing with local wineries adapting their vinification methods to make softer, more approachable wines. Note The word Garrafeira is a term sometimes seen on Portuguese wine labels and indicates a reserve wine which has been given significant extra ageing.