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Portuguese wine is the result of traditions introduced to the region by ancient civilizations, such as the Phoenicians Carthaginians, Greeks, and mostly the Romans. Portugal started to export its wines to Rome during the Roman Empire. During the Reconquista of Portuguese lands from the the Arabs in the 12th and 13th centuries, areas that had seen wine production reduced due to the Islamic prohibition against alcohol soon saw their local wine industry active again. During this period, new grape varieties were planted along with indigenous varieties and today Portugal is noted for its wealth of grape varieties used in wine production with varietals made from Touriga Nacional, Alvarinho, Tinta Roriz (Tempranillo), Baga and Encruzado being more noticeable in the global wine market.
During the period of discoveries, Henry the Navigator brought to the newly discovered island of Madeira the Moscatel and Malvasia from the Greek Island of Crete. The modern Portuguese wine industry developed with trade to England after the Methuen Treaty in 1703. From this commerce a wide variety of wine styles started to be produced in Portugal ranging from the fortified wines of Port and Madeira to slightly frizzante Vinho Verde and still red and white wines made throughout the country. In 1758, one of the first delineated wine-producing region of the world, the Região Demarcada do Douro was created under the orientation of Marquis of Pombal, in the Douro Valley. Portugal has two wine producing regions protected by UNESCO as World Heritage: the Douro Valley Wine Region (Douro Vinhateiro) and Pico Island Wine Region (Ilha do Pico Vinhateira).
History[edit]
Wine has been made in Portugal since at least 2000 BC when the Tartessians planted vines in the Sado and Tagus valleys. By the 10th century BC, the Phoenicians had arrived and introduced new grape varieties and winemaking techniques to the southern coastal areas of Portugal. In later centuries, the Ancient Greeks, Celts and Romans took wine production further north.[1] The Romans, in particular, were eager to exploit the viticultural promise of the land which they named Lusitania after Lusus, the son of the Roman god of wine Bacchus.[2]
Around the 12th century, the Entre Douro e Minho region (which today includes modern Portuguese wine regions such as the Douro and Vinho verde) became the focus of the first Portuguese wine region to ship wine to England. This trade relationship, further strengthened by the 14th century Treaty of Windsor, would do much to shape the Portuguese wine industry as the wealthy English market frequently sought out alternative sources of wine during the many political conflicts between England and France. The beginning of the modern Portuguese wine industry emerged in 1703 when the Methuen Treaty furthered advanced English economic interest in Portugal by reducing tariffs on Portuguese wines and giving their merchants preferential treatment in the British wine market over French wines. Around this time, the fortified wine known as Port was increasing in popularity in Britain and many British merchants set up Port Houses in the cities of Oporto and Vila Nova de Gaia. The lucrative trade in Port saw an increase in fraudulent practices and adulterations which prompted the Portuguese authorities to establish one of the world's first protected designation of origin when Sebastião José de Carvalho e Melo, Marquis of Pombal demarcated the boundaries and regulations for the production of authentic Port from the Douro in 1756.[3]
The age of exploration opened up the Portuguese wine industry to lands and markets beyond the Iberian peninsula. Portuguese explorers discovered new wine producing colonies in the Atlantic islands of the Azores and Madeira. The islands became convenient stop over ports on the way to Portuguese colonies in West Africa and South America. Wanting to protect their own interest, the Portuguese developed monopolistic policies that practically forbade the colonies from importing wines from other countries or (with the exception of the Azores and Madeira) trying to produce wine of their own. In Brazil, the wealthy market of Rio de Janeiro could only import wines from the Douro.[4] Meanwhile, fortified Portuguese wines such as Port and Madeira were increasing in popularity in the English/British market. The process of fortification was discovered to enhance the flavor and stability of wines on these long sea voyages. Madeira wine became particularly popular in the American colonies, with an established market that continued to thrive even after the colonies gained independence from Great Britain.[3]
Like many wine regions, Portugal felt the devastation of the phylloxera epidemic in the 19th century. Many wine regions, especially those in the south, never recovered and shifted their attention to other agricultural endeavors. Among the industries that took root was the raising and harvesting of cork material, with Portugal today being one of the world's leading producers. Those who did replant, turned their attention to high yielding varieties and French hybrids. The quality of wine produced from these grapes were relatively low and, outside of the steady market for Port, the Portuguese wine industry faded out of the public attention. It wasn't till the late 20th century when political and economic stability garnered by Portugal's entry into the European Union that major steps were taking to revitalize the Portuguese wine industry. EU subsidies and an influx of foreign investments allowed more wineries to purchase modern winemaking equipment. The influences of flying winemakers from across the globe introduced new winemaking techniques and more experimentations. The Portuguese appellation system of Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) was also upgraded to be more in line with its French, Italian and Spanish counterparts.[3] By the beginning of the 21st century, Portugal was well on its way to being recognized by consumers for producing more than just Port.
Climate and Geography[edit]
Continental Portugal is located on the western half of the Iberian Peninsula and is approximately 600 km (360 miles) long and is no more than 200 km wide throughout its length. Bordering the Atlantic Ocean, wine regions along the coast experiences a mostly maritime climate that gets progressively more continental further inland (such as the Douro) and more Mediterranean further south (such as the Algarve VR). The Madeira and Azores archipelagos have a warm, Mediterranean climate. Northern Portugal, in particular, feels the effect of the Atlantic's westerly winds with areas such as Vinho Verde seeing up to 2,000 mm (78 inches) of rainfall a year and a average temperature of around 10°C (50°F). Further south, where the terrain gets more flat, summertime temperatures during the growing season often exceeds 35°C (95°F).[3]
Wine regions[edit]
Appellation system[edit]
Port[edit]
Madeira[edit]
Grapes[edit]
The relative political and geographical isolation of Portugal has allowed it to maintain a virtual treasure trove of indigenous varieties that are unique to Portuguese wines. While the late 20th and early 21st century has shown increased plantings in many international varieties (most notably Syrah in Southern Portugal), the vast majority of Portuguese producers continued to cultivate the traditional Portuguese grape varieties. The exact number of unique grape varieties grown in Portugal is not fully known, with many clones and overlapping synonyms creating confusion on exactly which varieties may be grown in a vineyard that is often a field blend of many. Since the end of the 19th century, ampelographers have been working on cataloging Portugal's many grape varieties with DNA fingerprinting in the 21st century offering much promise. Since Portugal's inclusion in the European Union, government programs have been created to identify the most promising grape varieties and site locations.[3] These efforts mimic those previously taken in the Douro where the list of Port wine grapes are subdivided into categories of "Very good", "Good", "Average", "Mediocre" and "Bad" quality.[5]
Among the most widely planted red grape varieties: the six principle grapes of Port wine production-Touriga Franca, Tinta Roriz (also known as Tempranillo in Spain), Tinta Barroca, Touriga Nacional, Tinto Cão and Tinta Amarela[5]; Baga is an important grape in Bairrada; Periquita and Trincadeira are emerging in importance in the Alentejo but can be found planted throughout.[3]
Among the most widely planted white grape varieties: Alvarinho (also known as Albariño in Spain) and Loureiro are found throughout Vinho Verde; Arinto is an important grape in Bucelas but in planted throughout the country; Antão Vaz is a prominent grape in the Alentejo region that is continuing to grow in prominence; Bical is found in Bairrada and the Dão which also features Encruzado.[3]
The main grapes of Madeira (in order of the styles of wine they produce from dry to sweet) are Sercial, Verdelho, Bual (or Boal), and Malvasia (also known as Malmsey or Malvazia). Tinta Negra Mole and Complexa are "workhorse varieties" that were planted after phylloxera devastated the island but is now many found in blends and lower quality Madeira.[5]
References[edit]
- ^ Gourmet Girl "The wines of Portugal" Gourmet Girl Magazine, Accessed: December 6th, 2009
- ^ Corks and Forks "Portuguese wine" Accessed: December 6th, 2009
- ^ a b c d e f g J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 540-542 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906
- ^ R. Phillips A Short History of Wine pg 32, 66, 129-139 & 187-198 Harper Collins 2000 ISBN 0066212820
- ^ a b c T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 335-341 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0756613248