Portuguese
Wine: Some Things You Should Know
As you know, the National Tasting Project this year will be focused on Portuguese
wine. There is so much to say about Portuguese wine that it could fill a book,
but don’t worry! For the purposes of this blog post we’re going to start a
simple, comprehensive and (relatively) brief approach to summarizing this wine
country.
Let’s get started. Saúde!
Jimi
Hendrix enjoyed Mateus rosé.Not so long ago (Okay. It was long ago), journalist Pedro Garcia asked Jimi
Hendrix if he knew that when he was photographed with a bottle of Mateus in his
hands, he was in fact drinking a Portuguese rosé.
There is more to Portuguese wine than just port. While port is what put Portugal on the
world wine map, today there are many winemakers producing dry wines — red,
white, rose, and even sparkling wine.
A Portuguese dry wine is not port. Even if a traditional Port producer makes
a dry wine. Port is a fortified wine, meaning that it’s been
beefed up by adding a wine spirit, such as brandy, during the fermentation
process. The dry wines are fermented dry and are not sweet. No wine spirit or
brandy is added. They are made just like any other dry wine from anywhere else.
Most grape varietals for wine grown in Portugal
are native, and you’ve probably never heard of them. They include Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz
(same as Spanish Tempranillo), Touriga Franca and Baga for reds, and Encruzado, Alvarinho (Spain’s Albarino), Maria
Gomes for whites. If you’re bored with the same old Chardonnay and Cabernet
Sauvignon, look to Portugal for variety. Blending is common in Portugal,
although you can find single varietal wines. Each wine region in the country is
known for a particular blend.
Vinho Verde is a wine region, not a grape
varietal. This white is most
likely the one wine, besides port, that you may have heard about. Vinho Verde
translates as green wine, but they
are referring to the fact that it ripens early. It is light, crisp, refreshing
and low in alcohol (9%-10% abv). It is a blended wine, and by law winemakers
can use 47 varietals, although the most common are Arinto (Pederna), Loureiro,
Alvarinho and Trajadura. You might find Vinho Verde also has a little
pétillance (fizz). Most Vinho Verde wines sell for less than $10.
Port comes only from the Douro region, and the
Alto Douro is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Wine has been made in the Douro for more than 2,000 years.
The Douro valley runs along the Douro River, from Spain to the port city of
Oporto, on the Atlantic coast. Through the years, the wineries have carved
steep terraces for grape growing along the banks of the Douro, and there is a
unique soil called schist. It looks like layers of flinty rocks.
Portugal is the 11th largest wine producer in
the world. In a country
that’s 575 miles long and 138 miles wide, 500,000 acres are planted to
grapevines, according to ViniPortugal.
In comparison the US ranks fourth in total wine production. The US is
Portugal’s seventh largest export market.
Portuguese wines carry an authenticity seal. Look on the back label for the seal. Each
wine region issues its own version.
Quinta on the label means wine estate. This is similar to Bodega in Spain or
Chateau or Domaine in France.
Tinto on a label most likely means that’s a red wine in the
bottle. Tinto translates
as tinted or colored, which for wine usually means red. You may also see this
term on bottles of Spanish red wines.
Now that you’ve got Portuguese wines on your radar, start looking for them on
restaurant wine lists and on the shelves of your local State Store. If you
can’t find any, start asking for them. Get
your friends to request Portuguese wines. You’ll be drinking really well for
not a lot of money.
Don't forget to check the blog often for tips, news and wine-related items!
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