Wines and wine regions of Portugal
Portugal has a long winemaking history and as far as the British are concerned this has, for centuries, centered around the Port trade. Other regions, however, have always existed but it is only within the last 15 years that they have begun to make their presence felt on the international stage. This has come about from Portugal having joined the EU and been at the receiving end of mountains of development cash, a growing sophistication in the home market and the arrival of a raft of New World trained winemakers. Along with these factors comes the blessing that Portugal is not just another receptacle for new plantings of Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon but boasts a full rack of its own native varieties like Touriga Nacional, Baga, Arinto, Touriga Francesca and many more, and this means new and exciting flavours. Our favourite producer is Quinta do Crasto whose wines are generous, sophisticated and full-flavoured.
View a full list of our Portuguese white wine and Portuguese red wine.
Madeira
Madeira is a fortified wine made in the Madeira Islands, Portugal, which is made in a variety of styles ranging from dry wines that can be consumed on their own as an aperitif, to sweet wines more usually consumed with dessert. The process of ‘Madeirisation’ consists of subjecting the wine to a high temperature for a period of some months in buildings called estufas specially designed
for this purpose. This heating is meant to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage of wine in barrels on deck through tropical climates. Madeira was originally unfortified, but the addition of grape brandy increased its ability to survive long voyages. There are four major types of Madeira, named according to the grape variety used. Ranging from the sweetest to the driest style they are: Malvasia (also known as Malmsey or Malvazia), Bual (or Boal), Verdelho, and Sercial.
Northern Portugal
The great glory of northern Portugal is the Douro valley, home to the Port trade and, more recently, the source of splendid red table wines. For wine buffs, this is one of the most rewarding regions to visit for its combination of stunning natural beauty, great wines and warm hospitality. Although new motorways allow fast access to the upper Douro, the finest way to travel here is to take the train from Porto whose modest pace allows you to take in the scenery to the full. Just to the north of the Douro lies the Minho region famous for its raspingly dry Vinho Verde and as the home of Mateus Rose. Other areas of note are the Bairrada and Dâo where increasingly interesting reds are being made.
Dao
Dão is surrounded by mountains, and the vineyards are at altitudes ranging from 200–900m. This means that the region is protected to a degree from the vagaries of the Atlantic weather system to the west, but not fully exposed to the harsh continental climate to the east. The region is capable of producing good, ripe reds with excellent acidity, and can have a good ageing ability because of this.
Douro
The great glory of northern Portugal is the Douro valley home to the Port trade and, more recently, the source of splendid red table wines. For wine buffs this is one of the most rewarding regions to visit for its combination of stunning natural beauty, great wines and warm hospitality. Although new motorways allow fast access to the upper Douro the finest way to travel here is to take the train from Porto whose modest pace allows you to take in the scenery to the full.
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