Portugal - General, History and Law Flashcards
What two treaties contributed to the trade relationship between Portugal and England?
Treaty of Windsor (1386)
-established diplomatic alliance
Treaty of Methuen (1703)
- long-lasting trade agreement, preferential tariffs for Portuguese wines
- response to ban on French wine sales in England
When did Portuguese sailors discover the Madeira archipelago?
1419
colonized and set it on fire bc it was all forest - making it suitable for agriculture
When and where did the English discover port? Early nickname?
- 1687
- Town of Lamengo in the Douro Valley
- nicknamed blackstrap bc of strength and richness
What percentage of imported wine in England did Portuguese wine account for by the mid 1700s?
2/3
-Port was most desirable
When was the house of Kopke founded? By whom?
1638!!
-Christiano Kopke (German)
What three English port houses were established by 1700?
- Warre & Co
- Croft
- Taylor’s
Could the houses in Duoro meet demand in the early 1700s? What did this lead to?
NO
-fraudulent practices like adding excessing amounts of sugar, alcohol, or coloring with elderberry (like Champenoise)
==> Price of port dropped
Why was Douro Wine Company founded?
Companhia Geral dos Vinhos do Alto Douro
-charged with restoring English confidence, eliminating fraud, and installing regulatory measures
What is a feitoria?
-One of 335 best vineyards classified by the Douro Wine Company between 1758-1761
- marked with stones
- signified fruit destined for English Market
What is a rama?
- Lesser vineyards designated by Douro Wine Company between 1758-1761
- destined for domestic market
What does the Douro Wine Company survive today as?
Royal Oporto Wine Company
-regulatory functions lost over time
What government run body manages the appellation and its regulations today?
Douro Port Wine Institute (IVDP)
Where did Madeira start out as most prosperous?
English North American colonies and Brazil
What is Vinhos ao Roda and Vinhos Canteiro?
Vinhos ao Roda - wines that underwent the torna viagem (round trip) across Atlantic or to East Indies/back
Vinhos Canteiro - wines that matured on Island of Madeira
What is the name for round trip underwent by Madeira wines?
Torna viagem
What process replaced lengthy torna viagem by early 1800s?
estufagem
What two historical events in American history were famously toasted with a glass of Madeira
- signing of Declaration of independence
- George Washington’s inauguration
What wine diseases and maladies struck in the mid to late 1800s in Portugal
1850s - powdery and downy mildew
1867 - Phylloxera
What town near Lisboa is the only one in Portugal to be spared from phylloxera?
Colares
Other than actual wine, what other product does Portugal famously contribute to the wine industry? Why?
CORK!
-many vineyards not replanted after phylloxera
**one of foremost suppliers of cork closures in the wine industry
When was Região Demarcada status est? For what regions?
1929
-Madeira, Dão, Vinho Verde and others
What happened due to political upheaval in the early 20ths C silenced by 4 decades of authoritarian right-wing rule?
Junta Nacional do Vinhos (1937)
- revamped wine industry by consolidating small vineyards into network of larger co-ops
- quality suffered
What two commercial brands of sweet semi-sparkling rosé became the face of Portuguese wine after WWII?
- Mateus
- Lancers
When was Portugal admitted to the EU and what did this lead to?
1986
- foreign investment poured in
- small estates (quintas) severed ties with co-ops
- new appellation system
What is the name for Portugal’s best appellations?
Denominação de Origem Controlada (Protegida)
DOC/DOP
*Became DOP in 2009 to maintain EU protection
What are the three broad categories for Portuguese wine classification?
- Denominação de Origem Protegida (includes Controlada)
- Indicação Geogràfica Protegida (IGP)
- also called Vinhos Regional (VR)
- Vinhos de Mesa/Vinho - table wine
What minimum % of grapes must be grown in stated region for Indicação Geogràfica Protegida?
85%
How many IGPs as of 2017?
14 Minho Transmontano Duriense Terras de Cister Beira Atlântico Terras do Dão Terras da Beira Lisboa Tejo Península de Setúbal Alentejano Algarve Terras Madeirenses Açores
(N to S ish)
What does garrafeira indicate on a label?
“private wine cellar”
-minimum aging before release
- Tinto garrafeira - min 30 months, 12 in bottle
- Branco/Rosado garrafeira - min 12 months, 6 in bottle
What does vintage garrafeira Port indicate? Who pioneered this style?
- few years aging in barrel, then min. 8 years in glass demijohns
- Niepoort
What does reserva indicate on still vs traditional method sparkling labels?
- still bottles - 0.5% higher alcohol
- trad. method sparkling - min 12 months on lees
What is Colheita Selecctionada?
indicated 1% higher alcohol content than required
What is the term for grape variety in Portugal?
casta
What is the most widely grown red and white casta in Portugal?
red - Castelão
white - Fernão Pires (Maria Gomes)
What producer brought Castelão from Tejo to Terras do Sado (now Península de Setúbal) and had great success?
J.M. da Fonseca (sister company produced Lancers)
What is Periquita
brand that J.M. da Fonseca bottled Castelão under in Terras do Sado
-so successful, other producers tried to adopt “Periquita” as moniker/synonym for Castelão
What is Portugal’s finest red casta? How much nationally planted?
- Touriga Nacional
- 10% national acreage
- percentage often found in country’s premium red table wines
- treated to new French oak like BDX
Synonyms for Touriga Nacional
Bical TInto
Mortágua Preto
Other red grapes beyond Castelão and Touriga?
Alfrocheiro
Trincadeira (Tina Amarela)
Baga
Aragones (Tinta Roriz [Tempranillo!])
Where are plantings of Fernão Pires concentrated and what is the grape known as there?
Barraida - known as Maria Gomes
-simple honeyed wines - prone to oxidation/low acid
What nobler white grape produces elegant floral citrusy wines in the Dão?
Encruzado
What is Arinto?
One of Portugal’s oldest indigenous white varietals
- lively mineral whites
- most striking in Coastal regions
- Bucelas region particularly good
Most important white grapes of Alentejano and Vinho Verde respectively?
Alentejano - Antão Vaz
Vinho Verde - Alvarinho
Name for sercial on mainland?
Esgana Cão - dog strangler
Three important rivers in Portugal
Minho River
Douro River
Tagus (Tejo) River
N-S
