Portugal Flashcards
Describe the climate of Portugal.
The majority of Portugal is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, so much of the country has a Maritime climate.
Going inland, the climate becomes drier and hotter (more continental) which can be mitigated by altitude.
The large differences in annual average temperature partly
account for the diversity of wine styles found in Portugal.
What are the classification levels of Portuguese wine?
In ascending order:
Vinho : table wines, eg simple, fruity off-dry rosé
IGP (Indicação Geográfica Protegida), aka Vinho Regional. Minimum 85% of grapes grown in the stated region. 14 IGP
PDO level: DOP and DOC are both used in Portugal (Denominação de Origem Protegida and Denominação de Origem Controlada)
In Portugal, table wines without geographical indication are labeled as _______.
Vinho:
- Wine without Geographical Indication
- Variety and vintage may appear on the label.
- table wine
Name the 5 most important DOCs/DOPs of Portugal.
Vinho Verde
Douro
Dão
Bairrada
Alentejo
Where is Vinho Verde located?
Vinho Verde is in the very northwestern corner of Portugal, on the south side of the Minho River across from Galicia.
The Altantic Ocean is on Vinho Verde’s western border.
What is the climate of Vinho Verde?
Vinho Verde’s climate is moderate Maritime due to its proximity to the Atlantic Ocean.
The region receives high amounts of rainfall throughout the year.
Due to the high amount of rainfall in Vinho Verde, what threats do the vines face?
The high levels of precipitation can lead to excessive canopy growth and encourage fungal disease.
What is the classic vineyard trellising system used in Vinho Verde?
Or, what trellising system is Vinho Verde moving away from?
The pergola system
In recent years Vinho Verde has started to move into which other trellising system?
Spur-pruned VSP, to create airflow in the humid environment, is now used to improve the health and quality of the grapes and to
allow for mechanisation.
What are the local white grape varieties of Vinho Verde?
Arinto
Loureiro
Alvarinho (Albarino in Spain)
What is the classic style of wine of Vinho Verde?
Low alcohol, crisp, citrusy white wines – sometimes with a kiss of residual sugar to make them just off-dry – and almost always with a slight prickle which gives them a snappy, thirst-quenching quality.
Vinho Verde Alvarinho is made exclusively from this white grape variety
Alvarinho
What is the most important subregion of Vinho Verde DOC for the production of quality Alvarinho?
What is different about the Alvarinhos here vs. the rest of Vinho Verde?
Monção e Melgaço
Alvarinhos from Monção e Melgaço express riper, more tropical fruits, fuller body, and higher alcohol (11.5 - 14%) compared to the everyday, light-bodied whites of Vinho Verde.
What is the typical abv range of Vinho Verde?
8% - 11.5%
If a wine label reads Vinho Verde Alvarinho, what % must be Alvarinho?
100%
Are wined in Vinho Verde always white?
Black varieties are also grown for the production of red and rose wines.
The reds are deeply coloured and tannic; the roses are fresh and fruity.
What is the oldest demarcated wine region in the world?
The Douro
What is the mountain range on the western side of the Douro Valley?
he Marao Mountains
Where is Douro DOC located?
It is located some 80 kilometres east of Porto and
stretches from the Marao Mountains to the frontier with
Spain.
What style of wine is the Douro Valley most famous for?
Wine production in the Douro is dominated by Port
What are the differences between Douro DOC and Porto DOC?
Douro DOC is a designation of red and white wines.
Porto DOC is the designation of the famous fortified wines.
Name the 5 leading red grape varieties used for both unfortified and fortified wines in the Douro.
Touriga Nacional
Touriga Franca
Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo)
Tinta Barreca
Tinta Cao
Which grape variety is considered the highest quality for red wine production in the Douro?
Touriga Nacional.
It gives low yields of grapes and produces wines that have intense colour and flavours and high levels of tannin .
What is the style of red wines of the Douro (apart from Port)?
The red wines of the Douro tend to be deeply coloured
and full-bodied with a high level of ripe tannins and rich
black fruit flavours. The best examples often display
subtle toasty aromas from maturation in new oak
What are the different names of Tempranillo used in Portugal?
Tinta Roriz
Are there white wines in the Douro?
The white wines, particularly those from high-altitude
vineyards, can show fresh varietal fruit and medium to
high acidity.
Where is Dao located?
Dao is located in a mountainous area 80 kilometres
south of the Douro region
What is the climate of Dao?
Cold, wet winters and warm, dry summers combined with a significant temperature variation between day and night, provide
excellent conditions for high-quality grapes.
What is the elevation range in the Dão?
The vineyards lie between 200 and 400 metres above sea level.
The vines are planted on the gentler hills and slopes.
Which white grape variety is used for high-quality wines in the Dão?
The best Dao whites are made from the Encruzado variety.
They range in style from light and fresh to richer, barrel fermented versions.
Name the most important red varieties in the Dão.
Touriga Nacional,
Tinta Roriz
Jaen (Mencia in Spain)
Alfrocheiro
Encruzado
What is the usual style of red wines in Dao?
The red wines from Dao often display delicate red fruit aromas, soft tannins and high acidity.
Alfrocheiro makes wines that are deep in colour with
intense aromas of blackberry and strawberry.
What is the Spanish name of Jaen?
Mencia
Where is the Bairrada Region located within Portugal?
What is its climate?
Bairrada lies between Dao and the Atlantic Ocean.
It has a maritime climate, with rainy winters and warm summers. Rain around harvest time can sometimes be a problem for late ripening varieties.
What are the main grape varieties of the Bairrada region?
Baga is the dominant black variety.
Other indigeneous varieties:
Touriga Nacional and Alfrocheiro
What is the style of a wine made from Braga grape?
Braga is a late-ripening variety with small, thick-skinned berries giving wines that are deep in colour with high tannin levels.
If underripe the wines can have high acidity and astringent tannins.
Later picking gives wines that are softer and display rich, black fruit flavours.
Gentler crushing and maceration techniques, as well as blending with other black varieties, have also given softer wines.
Which international red varieties are allowed in Bairrada?
Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah
What is the largest wine region in Portugal by size?
Alentejo
It is spread over eight sub-regions in the south
east of Portugal.
The largest Vinho Regional region in Portugal in terms of production is _________.
Vinho Regional Alentejano.
This region is based around Alentejo DOC but covers a far more extensive area.
A wide range of grape varieties can be used, particularly international varieties.
Besides Alentejano, name three other important Vinho Regional areas in Portugal.
Lisboa (stretching north from Lisbon)
Peninsula de Setubal (directly to the south)
Tejo (north-east of Lisbon)
What white grape varieties are used in Alentejo?
Arinto,
Antao Vaz
Roupeiro
They make fruity and floral white wines with medium to high levels of acidity.
Some wines are fermented or aged in oak to provide extra depth and complexity.
What red grape varieties are used in Alentejo?
ARAGONES (Tempranillo in Spain), usually blended with:
- TRINCADEIRA: drought tolerant grape with spicy red berry flavours and high levels of tannin, or
- ALICANTE BOUSCHET high in colour and tannins.
Increasing over the last few years:
Touriga Nacional and Syrah.
These wines are typically deep in colour, with high yet soft tannins, a full body and expressive ripe fruit flavours .
Alentejo DOP spans a large area. It has a warm growing region but due to small climatic differences make the wines vary in style from the north to the south.
In the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, the wines are more elegant thanks to cooler temps and more rainfall. In the \_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_, the wines are rich and more concentrated due to a hotter, drier climate.
North
South
Besides vine production, what other crop is Alentejo known for?
The Alentejo region produces two-thirds of the world’s output of cork.
Cork oak acorns are used locally for pig feed
