The world's greatest wine regions

Getting to know Portugal.

As an introduction to the reality of Portuguese Winemaking, it is only appropriate to let our viewers in on some basic information about it. On this text, taken from the work of João Afonso, “Curso de Vinho Para Verdadeiros Apreciadores”, the reader gets to know what makes our country unique when it comes to its wines. From a brief explanation of our climate, to the varieties of grapes used, to the key wine-yielding regions, this text serves as a starting point from which we can unfold our blog. About the work from which the text originates from, “Curso de Vinho Para Verdadeiros Apreciadores”, it is, just as the title suggests, a guide into the world of wine appreciation, going into detail into the various world renown wine regions, the differences between the various kinds of wines and the way they are produced and even providing a description on how to taste wine like a professional. With an easily understandable language, we would highly recommend it to those who’re seeking to study further into the subject.

From this text we established some of the grounds of wine-making. We have learned a few basic designations used in wine-making and we got to know more about Portugal and its wine-making.

3.1 Portugal

Its geographical position makes it unique in terms of identity and character of its people and the products of its land.

The wide array of climatic influences, along with orographical and geological features, make Portugal one of the most diversified territories on the planet. Every few ten miles, there’s a change in the climate, the soil, the landscape, the customs and in all good things the earth provides. A good example of this are Minho’s Vinho Verde and Port Wine, originated in regions whose borders mix up between each other, and that, whilst one is «green» (hence the name “Verde”), the other’s sweet, generous and one of the ripest wines in the whole world.

In this small rectangle we have maximum temperatures similar to those in the Sahara, minimum ones similar to those in northern Europe, mildness, such as that found in the Isle of Madeira and similar to the most heavenly of tropics. You can find everything in this land and the wines and their diversity speak for this unmatched and absolutely characteristic wealth.

I consider it a privilege, for someone who enjoys tasting and drinking wine (aside from living well) to have been born in a country such as Portugal.

Viticultural Portugal

We have in our country, wines that have a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO), the ones we call DOC, wines with a geographical indication, called Regional Wines, and those that are neither one nor another, being simply called Table Wines. Supposedly, this is a hierarchical classification from the best to the worse but, in fact, we can find anything on all categories and mostly between the first two (DOC and Regional). In most regions, there is no qualitative difference whatsoever, neither none that can hint as to the chosen designation.

Speaking of numbers, we have 250 000 acres of vineyards and we occupy only 3% of the world’s area, however, considering its used farming land, our country has the most vineyards in the whole world. We produce an average (1998/2008) of 6.6 million hectolitres, we’re the 10th largest world producer and the 4^th biggest consumer, with 48 litres per capita. The industry employs around 277 000 people (2^nd place in Europe), we also have the largest number of wine grape varieties per square kilometre, we’re number 10 on the international wine commerce ranking and in 2012 we exported 705 million euro (42% of the total production). We are, truthfully in every way, a «Country of Grapes and Wines»

Effectively, you can produce wine all over the land with adiversifying quality. The reasons are essentially three: the climate, the soil and the varieties of grapevines.

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The core wine regions and producers

They’re half a dozen: from north to south those are Vinho Verde, Douro, Dão, Bairrada, Setúbal Peninsula and Alentejo (in which Madeira is also included, addressed in its own chapter). All the other regions produce excellent wines as well, but without the media and commercial coverage of the previously selected ones.

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page 65-67, Curso de Vinho para Verdadeiros Apreciadores