Terras do Dão, Terras de Cister, Terras da Beira, and Beira Atlântico

Question 1

Where is Beiras?

Answer 1

South of Duriense and Minho, spanning the entire width of Portugal.

Question 2

Which IGP once covered most of Central Portugal?

What four IGPs did it eventually split into and when?

Answer 2

Bieras VR (lies south of Duriense and Minho)
—Split into Terras do Dão, Terras de Cister, Terras da Beira, and Beira Atlântico in 2011

Question 3

What DOPs lie within Terras do Dão IGP?

Answer 3

Dão DOP

Lafões DOP “La-foyge”

Question 4

What DOP is located within Beira Atlântico. What is the sole subzone?

Answer 4

Bairrada DOP

—Subzone: Terras do Sicó

Question 5

What DOP is the center of sparkling wine production in Portugal?

What IGT is it located within?

Answer 5

Távora-Varosa “TA-va-ra va-RO-sa” DOP, a small appellation immediately south of the Douro River and north of Terras do Dão

It is located within Terras de Cister IGP.

Question 6

What DOP is located within Terras da Beira IGP?

Answer 6

Beira Interior DOP

A larger appellation near the Spanish border. Despite its size, the region has relatively few growers, and much of the winemaking is performed by cooperatives.

Question 7

What are the three subzones of Beira Interior DOP?

Answer 7

Beira Castelo Rodrigo
Cova da Beira
Pinhel “Peen-yell”

Question 8

Where are some of Portugal’s best dry reds produced?

Define the style of the region.

Answer 8

Dão DOP.

Typically more elegant, sharper, and more floral than their counterparts in the Douro.

Question 9

What grape is a signature component of Dão blends?

Answer 9

Touriga Nacional, although it has been eclipsed in volume of acreage.

Question 10

Where are the best vineyards in Dão located?

Answer 10

Betwee 400-500 meters above sea level, helps preserve acidity in the hot and dry region.

Question 11

How much of Dão is planted to viticulture?

Answer 11

5%
-“Vineyards are only a subplot in the landscape, cropping up here and there in clearings in the sweet scented pines and eucalypts”

Question 12

What are the seven subregions of Dão?

Answer 12

Serra da Estrela (named for Portugal’s highest mountain range)
Alva
Besteiros
Castendo
Silgueiros
Terras de Azurara
Terras de Senhorim

Question 13

What three mountain ranges shelter Dão?

Answer 13

Drinking Estrella and eating caramels out of my navel.

Serra de Estrela
Serra do Caramulo
Serra da Nave

-shelter from harsh wines and insulate from the wet, cool maritime weather system from the coast?

Question 14

What are the styles found in Dão? (5)

Answer 14

Branco (may be labeled Nobre, Reserva and/or Garrafeira)
Rosado
Tinto (may be labeled Nobre, Reserva, and/or Garrafeira)
"Novo" Tinto (nouveau)
Vinho Espumante (sparkling)

Question 15

What are the recommended red grapes of Dão?

Answer 15

—Touriga Nacional
—Jaen (Mencia)
—Touriga Franca
—Alfrocheiro (intense fruity aromas and high quality potential; related to Trousseau)
—Aragonez (Tempranillo)
—Bastardo (Trousseau)
—Rufete Late ripening; occasionally yields fine, ageworthy, light reds. Like Baga, performs well only in very specific sites to reach full maturity; majority are light in color, low in alcohol, and have high acidity that highlights the astringent tannins.
—Trincadeira
—Tinta Cão- High quality port variety that occasionally shines in Dão, one of the 5 most important grapes planted in the Douro; little more feminine than Touriga Nacional.

Question 16

What are the recommended white grapes of Dão?

Answer 16

Encruzado
Bical
Cercial (not Sercial of Madeira)

A number of other grapes are additionally “authorized” but not recommended.

Question 17

What are the variety requirements for Dão Nobre wines?

Answer 17

Red Nobre: must contain a min. 85% combined Touriga Nacional, (min 15%) Jaen, Rufete, Alfrocheiro, and Aragonez.

White Nobre: must contain a min 85% combined Encruzado (min 15%) and Cercial, Bical, Malvasia Fina, and Verdelho.

Question 18

What are the requirements for Dão Branco and Tinto?
Min Alcohol?
Min Aging?

Answer 18

Branco: 11%; no aging requirment

Tinto: 11%; May 15 of the year following the harvest

Question 19

What are the requirements for Dão Branco Reserva and Tinto Reserva?
Min Alcohol?
Min Aging?

Answer 19

Branco Reserva: 11.5%; 6 months

Tinto Reserva: 11.5%; 24 months

Question 20

What are the requirements for Dão Branco Garrafeira and Tinto Garrafeira?
Min Alcohol?
Min Aging?

Answer 20

Branco Garrafeira: 11.5%; 12 month (including 6 in the bottle)

Tinto Garrafeira: 11.5%; 36 months (including 12 month in bottle)

Question 21

What are the requirements for Dão Branco Nobre and Tinto Nobre?
Min Alcohol?
Min Aging?

Answer 21

Branco Nobre: 11.5%; 12 months

Tinto Nobre: 12%; 36 months

Question 22

What are the requirements for Dão Branco Nobre Reserva and Tinto Nobre Riserva?
Min Alcohol?
Min Aging?

Answer 22

Branco Nobre Reserva: 12%; 12 months

Tinto Nobre Reserva: 12.5%; 42 months

Question 23

What are the requirements for Dão Branco Nobre Garrafeira and Tinto Nobre Garrafiera?
Min Alcohol?
Min Aging?

Answer 23

Branco Nobre Garrafeira: 12%; 18 months (including 9 months in bottle)

Tinto Nobre Garrafiera: 48 months (including 18 months in bottle)

Question 26

What percentage of experimental grapes (Cabernet Sauvignon, Semillon) can be utilized in Dão?

Answer 26

No more than 40%

Question 26

Where is Bairrada DOP?

Answer 26

To the west of Dão in the Beira Atlantico IGT.

In the west, Bairrada experiences a milder, rainier climate than Dão.

Question 26

What styles are found in Bairrada DOP?
Predominant grape varieties?
What soils?

Answer 26

Predominantly red wines, although white and rosado wines are authorized.

Tinto: Min 50% Baga

• The white companion of Baga is Bical, another local grape notable for its acidity but capable of quality and a degrees of complexity.
• Both varieties find their way into some very fine traditional-method sparkling wines. Other white grapes, including Maria Gomes (Fernão Pires) and Arinto, which are usually planted in sandier soils.

Question 26

Describe Baga
Soil preferred?
Similar to what other grape?

Answer 26

a late ripening, notoriously astringent grape thrives in the barros (clay) soils.

-likened to Nebbiolo in its uncompromisingly heavy charge of acid and tannin.

Question 27

Who is Campolargo?

Answer 27

One of Bairrada great modernizers; eclectic and far from atypical range featuring Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah, and even Pinot Noir.

Question 29

What is Bairrada Clássico?

When was it created and why?

Answer 29

Used for winemakers who remain faithful to the native tinto (only) grapes provide a minimum 12.5% abv, rather than the 11% required by the DOP)

Standard Bairrada is:
(Min. 85% combined Baga (min. 50%), Alfrocheiro, Camarate, Castelão, Jaen, and Touriga Nacional)

-“In 2003, the regulations changed. Red Bairrada can now be made for a huge variety of grapes in any percentages. Hence the Campolargo Tinto, a 100% Pinot Noir labelled as, you guessed it, Bairrada DOC! The Classico designation preserves the old 1991 rules regarding Baga at a min of 50% of the blend. Hardly any producers use it though.”

Question 30

Name two juxtaposed producers of Bairrada.

Answer 30

—Luis Pato-One of Bairrada’s most passionate exponents and biggest promoters of the Baga grape variety. Founded “Baga Friends” to defend and promote a grape whose time has been a long while coming.
—Camplargo-One of Bairrada great modernizers; eclectic and far from atypical range featuring Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Cab Sauv, Merlot, Syrah and even Pinot Noir

Question 31

Best winemakers/individual estates in Dão?

Big Names?

Answer 31

Alvaro Castro (Quinta da Pellada/Quinta de Saes
Louis Lourenço's Quinta dos Roques/Quinta das Maias

Big Names: Sogrape (Quinta dos Carvalhais) and
Dão Sul (Quinta de Cabriz)

Question 32

Describe the wines of the Buçaco Palace Hotel.

Answer 32

On Barraida’s eastern boundary, the Bussaco Palace Hotel, originally designed as a “cathedral of wine” to showcase the region, is one of the inside secrets of Portugal’s wine trade for generations.

• Alexandre de Almeida (the owner of the hotel) wanted to offer local food and drink, and so the hotel began making their own wines, creating the current labels in 1920 (they are the same every year: the vintage is indicated by means of a small white sticker).
• Wines made are a red (Baga from Bairrada and Touriga Nacional from Dão) and white (Dão’s Encruzado blended with Bical and Maria Gomes from Bairrada); they are aged for years in barrel in the Palace cellars and had a reputation for their longevity.
• They were sold exclusively from the hotel’s wine list, but you could only get them and drink them in the hotel dining room. Occasional bottles got out, and they were the source of great excitement.

-This all changed with the challenging financial situation in 2008. Suddenly the hotel began releasing stocks of old wines, and they began to make their way onto the market. For a while, there were some nice older vintages available, but this supply has now dried up, and Bussaco are releasing current vintage only.

Question 33

What style is found in Lafões?

Answer 33

Still Red and White; considerable unrealized potential in making light, dry white wines similar to those of neighbouring Vinho Verde, sometimes referred to as verdascos. Red wines are more similar to those of nearby Dão.

Tinto: Min. 40% Amaral, plus Jaen and Pilongo
Branco: Min. 85% combined Arinto (min. 50%) and Cercial; plus Dona Branca, Sercial, Rabo de Ovelha