Portugal Flashcards
Explain the climate
Varied Climate in 3 Areas
North: Cool and humid
South: Warm and Mediterranean
Inside the country: Hot, Arid Continental
Vinhos de Mesa
Tabel wine
IGP
Indicação Geogràfica Protegida
DOP
Denominação de Origem Protegida (French AOP)
VR
Vinhos Regional
min of 85% of the fruit must come from the stated region
IGP Regions (14)
Minho Transmontano Duriense Terras do Dão Terras de Cister Terras da Beira Beira Atlântico Tejo Lisboa Alentejano Península de Setúbal Algarve Terras Madeirenses Açores
Garrafeira
“Private wine celler”
Indicating a minimum period of ageing prior to release:
Red, 2 years in wood + 1 year in bottle
White, 6 months in wood + 6 months in bottle
Extra 0.5 abv min alcohol content
Tinto Garrafeira
Must age for a minimum of two years in wood plus one year in the bottle
Branco and Rosado Garrafeira
Must age for a minimum of 6 months in wood plus 6 months in the bottle.
Reserva
Indicating an alcohol content of at least 0.5% higher than the legal minimum established by the respective DOP or IGP; however, stricter requirements in individual DOPs may supersede this standard.
Reserva (Sparkling wines)
Indicates a minimum period of 12 months on the lees prior to dégorgement.
Colheita Seleccionada
Indicates a minimum 1% higher alcohol content than that established by the regional appellation
Casta
Means Grape variety
Most planted red variety in Portugal
Castelão, typically full-bodied, tannic wines with meaty, red-fruit aromas.
Finest red variety in Portugal
Touriga Nacional, accounts for approximately 10% of the nation’s vineyard acreage, and yields inky, full-bodied, structured wines.
Most planted white variety
Fernão Pires, known as Maria Gomes in Bairrada
Climate Minho IGP and Vinho Verde DOP
A cool, rainy, Atlantic-influenced climate prevails, and grey rot can be problematic during the damp growing season.
Enforcado
Traditional method to train the vines high above the ground on trellis (pergola system). Training the vines high above the ground, the grapes do not benefit from the reflected and radiated heat from the ground. They are therefore underripe at harvest time and contain a very high proportion of acid.
Vinho verde wine styles
White:
The light, floral white wines of the region are more common in both Europe and the US and are marked by lively acidity and low alcohol levels, and are slightly sparkling—a result, generally, of carbon dioxide injection prior to bottling.
Red:
The red wines, also pétillant, gain their sparkle from malolactic fermentation in the bottle, a process usually avoided for white wines.
The wines, whether white or red, are at their best in the year after release.
Minho soil type
Granite
Minho sub-areas (9)
Amarante Ave Baiao Basto Cavado Lima Moncao e Melgaco Paiva Sousa
Vinho Verde white grape varieties
Alvarinho Lourreiro Trajadura Arinto Avesso Azal Batoca
Vinho Verde red grape varieties
Vinhão (a teinturier grape) Espadeiro Borraçal Alvarelhão Padeiro
Trasmontano IGP
Between the Minho region to the west and the Spanish boarder to the east.
Soils are mainly schistous with some granite.
The region is dry, hot and mountainous with cooler vineyards at higher altitudes
Tras-os-Montes DOP
3 sub regions:
Chaves, Planalto Mirandes and Valpacos
Long hot summers, very cold winters
Mainly granite soils with some schist
Tras-os-Montes DOP reds
Bastardo Marufo Tinta Roriz Touriga Franca Touriga Nacional Trincadeira
Tras-os-Montes DOP whites
Codega Fernao Pires Gouveio Malvasia Rabigato Viosinho
Douriense IGP
Most difficult region to practise viticulture
Mainly granite and schist, and extremely mountainous
Two DOP’s: Douro and Porto
Douro DOP sub-regions
Baixo Corgo
Cima Corgo
Duro Superior
Douro DOP permitted grape varieties Red
Over 60 permitted grape varieties.
Quality red tabel grapes: Touriga Nacional Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo) Tinta Franca Tinta Barroca Tinta Cao Tinta Amarela (Trincadeira)
Douro DOP permitted grape varieties White
Over 50 permitted grape varieties.
Quality white table grapes: Arinto Gouveio Malvasia Rabigato Viosinho
IVDP
Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto
Blind tasting panel. Wines are marked out of 20
Wines scoring under 10 are rejected; those marked 10 may carry the classification of Douro IGP
Wines scoring 11 points qualify for the Douro DOP; 12 and 13 points may use the designation Reserva; 14 points and over entitles the wine to be classified as Grande Reserva. These may use the terms Colheita Selecionada, Grande Escolha or Reserve Especial.
Licoroso
Fortified
Espumanto do Douro
Sparkling wines form the Douro
Colheita Tardia
Late harvest wines
Barca Velha
The first red wine of real quality produced in the Douro by Fenando Nicoau de Almeida, at Ferriera in 1952.
