Portugal Flashcards
During the 1940s, two incredibly successful Portuguese Rosé wines were launched. What were the names of these wines?
Mateus Rosé in 1942
Lancers Rosé in 1944
Portugal has a range of climates and soil types. Describe them.
The south of Portugal tends to be warmer and drier than rest of the country.
The west of the country is strongly influenced by the Atlantic ocean, bringing cool, rainy weather. The more inland regions are protected from the ocean by mountains; therefore, these inland regions tend to have a more continental climate.
These mountainous regions tend to have schist or granite soils, whereas the soils of coastal regions tend to be composed of clay, limestone or sand. Some vineyards located on riverbanks have alluvial soils.
Most wines produced in Portugal are blends of different grape varieties. However, there are particular instances of single varietal wines from specific regions. Name the varieties that are frequently used to produce single varietal wine in the flollowing regions:
* Bairrada
* Dão
* Monção e Melgaço
- Baga
- Encruzado
- Alvarinho
In recent years, Portuguese winemaking has tended to focus on a more restrained use of oak, but in the past, use of new oak was more prevalent. Discuss the current views on oak vessels.
Some Portuguese producers are experimenting with traditional winemaking techniques. For example, there has been a niche revival of the very large vessels used in the past. These are called toneis and range from 3,000 to 6000 litres.
More commonly, producers are buying slightly smaller vessels called foudres which can contain 2,000 - 2,500 litres.
Portugal is number one in the world when grape growing is measured as a percentage of total agricultural output. What percentage of total agricultural output does grape growing account for in Portugal?
35%
What is the name of the largest wine company in Portugal?
Sogrape
Which Portuguese wine producing region has the largest sales to the domestic market?
Alentejo
Name the VR for the following DOCS
* Vinho Verde
* Douro
* Dão
* Bairrada
* Alentejo
* Tejo
* Alenquer
* Palmela
- Vinho Verde: Minho
- Douro: Duriense
- Dao: Terras do Dao
- Bairrada: Beira Atlantica
- Alentejo: Alentejano
- Tejo: Tejo
- Alenquer:Lisboa
- Palmela: Península de Setúbal
How are most Vinho Verde wines made in Portugal
Most Vinho Verde wines are made in a protective manner to preserve the fresh, fruity characteristics of the grapes, and most wines are blends of different grape varieties.
Provide descriptions for the following Vinho Verde grapes:
* Loureiro
* Pederña
* Alvarinho
* Avesso
* Trajadura
Loureiro: This grape is mid-ripening and produces wines with medium (+) acidity and citrus, pear, floral and herbal aromas.
Pedernã: This grape mid-ripening and relatively productive. It is less aromatic than Loureiro, with subtle citrus and apple fruit and high acidity.
Alvarinho: This grape often has medium (+) body and medium (+) to high acidity with citrus, peach and sometimes tropical flavours.
Avesso: This grape is late-ripening and can fail to ripen fully unless weather conditions are relatively warm and dry. It is lower in acidity than some of the other varieties, can be relatively full-bodied and displays citrus and stone fruit.
Trajadura: This grape is low in acidity with apple and peach flavours. It is usually blended with varieties that have higher levels of acidity.
Discuss the minimum alcohol levels for Vinho Verde wines
- Vinho Verde wines that do not mention the sub-region on the label must be a minimum of 8 % ABV.
- Wines that do mention the sub-region on the label must be at least
9% ABV. - Single varietal Alvarinho from Monção e Melgaço must be made to lower maximum yields than those for wines from Vinho Verde in general and have a minimum alcohol level of 11.5% ABV.
The grapes used in still red wines from the Douro are similar to those used in Port production. List the 5 main varieities.
- Tinta Barroca
- Tinto Cão
- Tinta Roriz
- Touriga Franca
- Touriga Nacional
Using bullet points, identify the three Douro sub-regions, then:
Describe where each sub-region is located in the Douro.
Identify the general climate and rainfall in each region.
- Douro Superior: Situated in the east in the Upper Douro. A hot continental and arid region with 450 mm of rain per annum.
- **Cima Corgo: **Situated in the centre of the Douro Valley. A warm continental and dry region with 700 mm of rain per annum.
- Baixo Corgo: Situated in the west of the Douro Valley. The coolest and wettest region (more influence coming from the Atlantic Ocean) with 900 mm rain per annum.
Which white grape varieties are frequently used in white Douro wines?
Moscatel Galego Branco
Viosinho
Gouveio
Rabigato
Briefly describe the difference in winemaking techniques used for the traditional style of red wines made of Baga in Bairrada, and more modern styles.
Traditionally Baga is whole bunch fermented (with stems) in lagares. Ageing is generally in the large toneis made from Portuguese or Brazilian oak.
Modern styles have moved away from whole bunch, with most grapes being destemmed prior to fermentation. Some producers do use a proportion of whole bunches or others might add some stems to the fermentation. The fermentation may take place in stainless steel, and/or open concrete vats. Maturation is generally carried out in large (500-650L) French oak vessels. Large foudres are used by others and can be made from French, Italian or Austrian oak.
