Portugal Table Wines

Question 1

How many IGPs are in Portugal?

Answer 1

14

Question 2

What is garrafeira?

Answer 2

“Private Wine Cellar,” refers to extended aging.

Question 3

Tinto garrafeira wines

Answer 3

min. 30 months before release, 12 in bottle

Question 4

Branco and Rosado garrafeira wines

Answer 4

min. 12 months, 6 in bottle

Question 5

Port garrafeira

Answer 5

8 years in glass demijohns after a 3-6 years in wood. always from single harvest, carries vintage on label.

Question 6

Who is the only current producer of Port garrafeira wines?

Answer 6

Niepoort

Question 7

What does reserva mean in Portugal?

Answer 7

Min. 0.5% additional alcohol, though certain regions impose higher minimums

Question 8

What does reserva mean for Portugese sparkling wines?

Answer 8

12 months lees aging

Question 9

What is Colheita Seleccionada?

Answer 9

min. 1% higher alcohol than regional minimum

Question 10

What’s the most planted red grape in Portugal?

Answer 10

Castelao

Question 11

How did Castelao end up in Setubal

Answer 11

It was brought from its origin in Tejo to Setubal by J.M. da Fonseca

Question 12

What is Portugal’s finest red varietal?

Answer 12

Touriga Nacional

Question 13

What % of plantings does Touriga Nacional account for?

Answer 13

10%

Question 14

Where did Touriga Nacional originate?

Answer 14

Dao, although Jaen has since overtaken it

Question 15

Where is Touriga Nacional most well-known?

Answer 15

It’s a major component in red blends of Dao, Douro, and Alentejo

Question 16

What are two popular synonyms for Touriga Nacional?

Answer 16

Bical Tinto and Mortagua Preto

Question 17

What are some other widely cultivated, promising red varietals in Portugal?

Answer 17

Baga and Aragonez (aka Tinta Roriz aka Tempranillo)

Question 18

What is the most widely planted white varietal in Portugal?

Answer 18

Fernao Pires, aka Maria Gomes (Barraida)

Question 19

Describe Fernao Pires

Answer 19

It’s aromatic and early ripening

Question 20

Where is Fernao Pires most concentrated?

Answer 20

Barraida and southern part of Tejo

Question 21

What is Fernao Pires known for?

Answer 21

It’s a workhorse grape producing simple, low-acid, honeyed whites prone to oxidation

Question 22

What is Encruzado?

Answer 22

An elegant, balanced grape yielding floral, citrusy wines that gain nuttiness with age

Question 23

Where are noble versions of Encruzado produced?

Answer 23

In the Dao, sometimes implementing oak aging

Question 24

What’s Arinto?

Answer 24

One of Portugal’s oldest varieties, lively & mineral

Question 25

Where do the best Arinto-based wines come from?

Answer 25

coastal areas such as Bucelas

Question 26

Which white variety is important in Alentejano?

Answer 26

Antao Vaz, produces tropical & aromatic whites

Question 27

What's a highly regarded grape variety in Vinho Verde?

Answer 27

Alvarinho, aka Albarino

Question 28

What is Sercial known as on the mainland? What does it translate to?

Answer 28

Esgana Cao, "the dog strangler"

Question 29

What's the climate of Vinho Verde?

Answer 29

cool & rainy, influenced by the Atlantic

Question 30

What is a problem that arises in Vinho Verde? Why?

Answer 30

Grey rot, due to the wet climate influenced by the Atlantic

Question 31

What is the traditional training system used in Vinho Verde?

Answer 31

"Enforcado," basically just let the vines grow up anything, then they provide a natural canopy

Question 32

What has replaced Enforcado in Vinho Verde?

Answer 32

Modern trellising systems

Question 33

What does Vinho Verde mean? What is it a reference to?

Answer 33

"Green Wine," refers to youthful freshness and the area's verdant, lush climate

Question 34

What is the largest DOP in Portugal? How much of Portugal's vineyard area does it comprise?

Answer 34

Vinho Verde, comprises 15% of vineyard acreage

Question 35

How big is Vinho Verde?

Answer 35

60,000 ha, stretches from Oporto to the Spanish Border

Question 36

What Spanish region is most similar to Vinho Verde? Why?

Answer 36

Rias Baixas, its basically Vinho Verde's neighbor to the north, just across the Minho River.

Question 37

What soil dominates Vinho Verde?

Answer 37

Granitic soils

Question 38

What is the most planted & primary grape of Vinho Verde?

Answer 38

Loureiro

Question 39

What are the other grapes of Vinho Verde besides Loureiro?

Answer 39

Trajadura (Treixadura), Avesso, Pederna (Arinto) and Alvarinho (Albarino)

Question 40

Where is Alvarinho bottled varietally?

Answer 40

In the town of Moncao, northern part of Minho

Question 41

What subzone of Rias Baixas is closest to Vinho Verde? What body of water separates the two?

Answer 41

Condado do Tea lies just across the Minho River from Moncao

Question 42

What makes Vinho Verde sparkle?

Answer 42

Injection of CO2 prior to bottling

Question 43

What makes the red wines of Vinho Verde sparkly?

Answer 43

Malolactic Fermentation happens in the bottle.

Question 44

Where is Transmontano?

Answer 44

East of Minho, along the Spanish border north of Duriense

Question 45

What are the three subzones of Tras-os-Montes DOP?

Answer 45

Chaves, Valpacos, and Planalto Mirandes

Question 46

What is the climate of Tras-os-Montes DOP? What effect does this have on the wines?

Answer 46

Dry and hot, it produces ripe, full-bodied wines

Question 47

What red grapes are used in Tras-os-Montes?

Answer 47

Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Bastardo, Tourica Francesca, and Trincadeira

Question 48

What White grapes are used in Tras-os-Montes?

Answer 48

Fernao Pires, Siria, Viosinho, Gouveio, Malvasia Fina and Rabigato