Portugal Flashcards
Portugal brief history of viticulture and winemaking.
- Ancient cultures: Tartessian, Phoenicians, Greek and Romans.
- England alliance during Treaty of Windsor (1386) and Methuen (1703). Replaced France while England was at war with the French.
- Decline. Peninsular War and Civil War, phylloxera and 40 years of ruling of Antonio de Oliviera Salazar in 1932. Co-ops get political advantages.
- Portugal enters the EU in 1986. Financing for new technologies. Austerity bring needs for export markets (inexpensive, mid-priced mainly).
Two major successful brands of Portugal during the mid 40s.
- Mateus Rose (was 40% of the dry wine production).
- Lancers Rose.
The EU financing strategy brought what technological innovation in Portugal?
- Stainless steel.
- De-stemmer.
- French oak.
Three main climatic influences in Portugal divided by main areas.
- Atlantic Ocean (west), cool rainy weather.
- Mountain ranges (north-inland) continental climate.
- Rolling hills and plains (south), drier.
Main weather-related problems in Portugal.
- Drought (irrigation is common unless authorisation is required e.g. Douro).
- Fungal diseases (in coastal regions).
- Extreme weather events. Hail/storms and wildfires.
Most planted grape varieties in Portugal.
- Aragonez/Tinta Roriz.
- Touriga Franca.
- Touriga National.
- Fernao Pires/Maria Gomes.
Most important trellising systems in Portugal.
- Old bush vines (historically, older vines).
- High-trained (to increase air circulation where Atlantic is influencing).
- Guyot/VSP.
How was called the old Portuguese and Brazilian 3-6000 litre vessel?
Toneis.
PDO/PGI system in Portugal.
- Vinho - wines that are neither PDO/PGI.
- VR (Vinho Regional) - PGI.
- DOC/DOP - PDO.
Growers, negociants and co-ops. What changed after Portugal entered the EU?
- Many growers stopped selling to negociants to produce their own wines.
- Negociants managed to purchase many vineyards where they were buying grapes.
- Co-ops lowered their numbers drastically, carefully selecting vineyards (old vines, lesser-known regions or varieties).
General climate of Vinho Verde.
Moderate maritime climate.
More continental going towards east.
Climatic influences of Vinho Verde.
- Atlantic Ocean - moderating influence.
- River Minho and tributaries - they funnel Atlantic winds inland.
- Peneda-Geres National Park mountains - warmer east areas with poorer soils.
Main diseases in Vinho Verde and what is done to prevent it?
Fungal diseases (rot and mildew).
Increase air circulation:
1. High training (VSP, double guyot). Some vines are trained up on trees.
2. Leaf removal, green harvesting.
Soils in Vinho Verde.
- Granitic bedrock.
- Decomposed granite and sand.
Both low fertility, manure and fertilisers are commonly used.
Varietals planted in Vinho Verde.
- Loureiro (most planted, mid-ripening, medium + acidity, citrus and herbal).
- Alvarinho (main subzone is Moncao e Melgaco).
- Pederna/Arinto (mid-ripening, neutral).
- Avesso (late ripening, lower acidity, peach and lemon).
- Trajadura (as Avesso, mainly used in blend).
- Vinhao (most planted black variety, high acidity, deep colour, red fruit).
Two main winemaking features of inexpensive and mid-priced Vinho Verde.
- CO2 added at bottling for a light spritz.
- Small amount of residual sugar is left.
Moncao e Melgaco sub-region specific laws.
- Minimum 11.5% (in other subregions is 9% and 8% if nothing is on the label).
- Only sub-region that can name Alvarinho on the label (from 2016 other sub can name the blend if Alvarinho is 30% present, needs to be declassified as Minho VR is single varietal Alvarinho).
Main producers of Vinho Verde.
- Anselmo Mendes.
- Quinta de Soalheiro.
Mostly growers selling grapes.
Who believed that great red dry wines could be made in Douro?
Fernando Nicolau de Almeida returned to Bordeaux in 1952 and experimented with varieties (mostly Tinta Roriz), fermentations and techniques such as cooling the vats with ice.
Barca Velha is now comanding super-premium prices.
What brought producers in Douro to produce more dry wines?
It started after they brought a court case to be allowed to export port from the estates in the Douro (instead of Villa Nova de Gaia).
General climate of Douro.
Warm continental.
Main climatic influences of Douro.
- River Douro and tributaries (creating aspects and altitude).
- Serra do Marao - shields from cool, damp Atlantic influences.