Portugal

Wine from Portugal is wine heritage

Anyone who has made a journey through the big wide world of wine is familiar with Port, Madeira Wine, Vinho Verde and typically heavy and tannic red wine, made from autochthonous and almost unknown grapes. Discover the Quintas of Portugal and their treasures. With VINELLO and the Portuguese wine in the mood of departure.

Synthesis of opposites - wine from Portugal

The momentum of long-established tradition in the interior and fresh approaches along the Atlantic coast of the north seems to have come to a standstill. Possibly because of the high status Portuguese wine has achieved through care, hard work and unique grape varieties. Why improve something when everyone tastes it. World famous Port and Madeira Wine as export hits, Vinho Verde that stands for the lightness of Portugal like no other and heavy, powerful red wines as you would expect from a sun-drenched river valley. Portuguese wine reveals itself to the connoisseur in many different ways.

Portuguese wine specialities

Port wine

The most famous wine from Portugal is undoubtedly the sweet and strong port wine from the Douro Valley in the interior of the country. However, the name is derived from the large wineries in the port city of Porto, where the port wine is stored in excessively large barrels. At least 2 and up to 10 years the fortified wines mature in the wooden barrels to fully develop aroma and taste. A fine sweetness develops, which makes the port wine very storable and very popular as dessert wine and aperitif.

Vinho Verde

High in the north of Portugal, the "green wine" is at home. Next to port, it is the most important export of Portuguese viticulture. Often cultivated on pergolas, a pergola covered with vines, the white grape varieties Alvarinho, Trajadura, Pederñao and Avesso, for example, produce a fresh, light and low-alcohol white wine, ideal for drinking young and enjoying. Characteristic of the Vinho Verde is a light tangy carbonic acid, which virtually encourages drinking. The name refers not so much to the colour green - Vinho Verde is available as both a white and a red wine - but to the green countryside of the Minho region and the fact that the wine is mainly drunk young.

Madeira

A Madeira wine is, like the port wine, a fortified wine, where the fermentation is stopped by adding pure alcohol. The peculiarity lies in the storage at high temperatures of up to 75° C, which is supposed to simulate the original sea voyages through the tropics, where the distinctive taste of the wine first appeared. What was once down to chance is now regulated. Permitted grape varieties include Malvasia, Verdelho and Sercial, whereby the alcohol content must ultimately be between 17 and 22% vol. in order to be allowed to bear the euphonious name Madeira Wine.

The growing areas of Portugal

Despite the famous representatives of Portuguese wine, a powerful and spicy red wine is considered typical among the Portuguese, about 15% of whom live from winegrowing. Spread over about 240,000 hectares, 5 wine-growing zones, 40 growing areas for quality wine, 26 of them with DOC status, the winegrowers cultivate and press a variety of native and partly even rootless grape varieties in the scattered Quintas of the country. Come with us on a little excursion along the Atlantic coast, through picturesque valleys and over babbling streams.

Alto Douro

This wine-growing region in the north of Portugal is considered the oldest in the world and runs deep into the interior of the country. On the steep terraces, the vines thrive on slate soils that retain enough moisture for the vines to easily survive the long, hot summers. Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Tinta Barocca form the basis for Port wine here, with much of the harvest also used for heavy red wine.

Vinho Verde and Minho

Between the Atlantic Ocean and the Douro Valley lies the Vinho Verde and Minho growing region. With the help of the sea breezes and the rainy climate, white grape varieties thrive here. This extremely fertile region accounts for about one fifth of Portugal's total yield. The fresh Vinho Verde is thus the most important export of the winegrowers in terms of quantity. However, many treasures never leave the country and are only too gladly consumed by the locals themselves. Don't worry - we've brought you a few tasty specialities from the northernmost wine-growing region for Portuguese wines.

Alentejo

East of Lisbon stretch the large wheat fields of the Alentejo, where significant deposits of the cork oak can still be found today. But the region on the border to Spain has not only made a name for itself with natural cork. Due to the warm climate, nutrient-rich clay and loam soils and artificial irrigation, an emerging wine industry is developing in the Alentejo, with a focus on strong red wines.

Estremadura

The wine-growing region of Extremadura runs along the Atlantic coast from Lisbon to Leiria and, with around 60,000 hectares, is the largest wine-growing region in Portugal. The majority of the area is planted with white grape varieties. Many growing areas with DOC status can be found between the coastal belt and the hilly hinterland. As in most Portuguese wine-growing areas, mainly native grape varieties are cultivated in the region of Extremadura.

Peninsula de Setubal (formerly Terras do Sado)

Wines with the title Terras do Sado assure a noble and traditional origin of fine white wines and powerful red wines. The two DOC regions Palmela and Setúbal unite to form the wine region Península de Setúbal and have been producing quality wines on calcareous and clay-rich soils for over a hundred years. In the heart of Portugal, the noble sweet liqueur wine Moscatel de Setúbal, the number three of the dessert wines behind Port and Madeira wine, is also produced.

The quality levels of Portuguese wine

The wine law in Portugal knows 3 quality levels, which are comparable with the French classification. They are based on geographical indications and specify grape varieties, yield and alcohol content.

• Vinho, formerly Vinho de Mesa, is a table wine without geographical indication. In part, these are simple wines, but high-quality wines can be declared as Vinho in order to circumvent the strict guidelines of the DOC guidelines.
• Indicação Geográfica Protegida (IGP), formerly Vinho Regional, corresponds to the country wine with protected designation of origin. It also prescribes grape variety and alcohol content, but is much more loosely defined than the conditions for a quality wine.
• Denominação de Origem Protegida (DOP) / Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC), replaced the quality level Indicação de Proveniência Regulamentada (IPR) in 2011, is the highest and most common quality level for Portuguese wine. Grape variety, alcohol content, acidity, color, ripening period and aroma are regulated.

In addition, the age of Portuguese wine is differentiated as follows

• Verdes: Young wines to be enjoyed immediately
• Maturo: Mature wines that have often been stored in barrels
• Garrafeira: Top wines with very long storage in the barrel

Portuguese wine buy cheap online

Whether fine white wines from the coast, structure-rich red wines from the interior, or fortified dessert wines from the Quintas of Portugal - experience the diversity of the up-and-coming wine-growing nation of Portugal on VINELLO. Order online high-quality Portuguese red wines, white wines, port wines cheap and uncomplicated. Hardly arrived from Portugal, we bring your Portuguese wines as fast as possible on the way to you. Maybe by ship, maybe not - in any case fast, reliable and safe. Buy wine from Portugal cheap and go on a journey with VINELLO.