Portugal Flashcards
What is Portugal’s most planted white variety?
Fernão Pires
Accounting for 13,000 hectares
Grown in Tejo, Lisboa and Bairrada (where it is called Maria Gomes)
Designed to be drunk young
Intensely aromatic, floral and citrus (tangerine, oranges) notes
Found as single varietal and in blends
As a still, sparking and a sweet wine
Fernão Pires is frost sensitive and best suited to warm or hot climates
Prefers fertile soils and gives high yields
What isolated Portugal from the rest of the wine world in the 20th Century?
The Salazar dictatorship (1932-1972) which promoted co-operatives
Portugal joined the EU (then the EEC) in 1986
What was founded in 1937 in Portugal?
The Junta Nacional do Vinho (JNV) which initiated a state run programme of cooperatives.
Over 100 co-ops were created in less than 20 years. Mostly in Northern Portugal and many deemed inflexible and winemaking standards deteriorated.
Why were cooperatives historically so important in Portugal?
Under the dictatorship of Salazar, cooperatives were promoted and over 100 created in 20 years
What was planted widely in Portugal post Phylloxera?
High yielding, Direct Producers or French Hybrids which still are planted in some small holdings in north and central Portugal
What is the hierarchy of wine classifications in Portugal?
Denominaçã de Origem Controllada (DOC) - Equivalent to appellation contrólée
Indicaçao de Proviniência Regulamentada (IPR)
Vinho Regional (Equivalent to Vin de Pays)
Vinho de Mesa - for table wines
Which quality designation is especially important to innovative winemakers working with international varieties in Portugal?
The 14 different Vinho Regional designations
What does Garrafeira refer to?
A term used in Portugal
Certain red or white wines from exceptional vintages with high alcohol and a longer maturation period
Can apply to all wines not just DOC label. Must meet Reserva criteria. Plus be aged for at least 2 years in cask, one year in bottle for reds and six month cask and six month bottle for whites
What does the term Reserva mean in Portugal?
Term indicates a wine from a single vintage, tasted by a panel and must have more than the minimum alcohol stated for the DOC
Where is Vinho Verde DOC?
In north west Portugal
Bound to the north by River Minho and Spanish border and to south by River Douro
Stretches from the coast to 90km inland
What is the biggest wine region in Portugal?
Vinho Verde DOC
What two rivers frame the Vinho Verde Region?
The Minho to the north and the Douro to the South
How did Portuguese wine benefit from EU membership?
It’s accession into the EU (EEC) in 1986
Meant monopolistic legislation was overturned
Relaxation of state intervention and bureaucracy
Increase of grants and low interest loans
Greater investment in modern technology
Increase number of single estates/quintas
What is the climate in Vinho Verde?
Maritime
Warm in Summer, high rainfall, mainly in summer but often at harvest
Atlantic winds bring in plenty of rain
What increases the chance of rot in Vinho Verde?
Rain that falls in summer and during harvest due to proximity to Atlantic
What is the soil in Vinho Verde?
Granite bedrock, sand and granite top soil
How are vines planted in Vinho Verde?
Trained high, traditionally on pergolas to reduce rot and make way for mixed farming
Recent plantings are wire trained with double cordon.
How many producers are there in Vinho Verde?
19,000 for some 21,000 ha 11% of Portugal’s total vineyard areas
Holdings are small
How much of Portugal’s total vineyard area is Vinho Verde?
11% at 21,000ha
What does Vinho Verde mean?
Green wine
But it refers to youth of a wine not the colour, to be enjoyed within year of harvest
Nearly half of production is red
White whine must be light and low (under 11.5%) in alcohol unless made using Albariño when more like 13%
What is style of Vinho Verde?
Vinho Verde can be red, rose and white
If white Vinho Verde made using Loureiro, Treixadura and Arinto
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Straw coloured, slightly effervescent
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Aromatic, Green apple, grapefruit, lime
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light body
Low in alcohol
Razor sharp acidity
What is the style of Vinho Verde made from Alvarinho?
Only permitted for DOC if grown in Moncão to the North
Higher alcohol, 13% alcohol Light sharp Fuller and richer Green apple and tropical fruits No CO2
Which Sub region can include Alvarinho in DOC wines in Vinho Verde?
Moncão to the north, bordering on Spain
What white grapes can be used for Vinho Verde?
Loureiro
Treixadura (Trajadura)
Arinto
Alvarinho (Minão only)
What red grapes can be used in Vinho Verde?
Vinhão (Sousao)
Azal Tinto (Amaral)
Espadeiro
What grape is used for the best White Vinho Verdes?
Alvarinho only in the north Moncão and often single quintas, higher alcohol (13% vs 11.5% permitted for Loureiro, Treixadura and Arinto) and no CO2
How many sub-regions does Vinho Verde have?
9 the most famous is Monção, the most northerly which borders Spain, where Alvarinho can be grown