Madeira :

Is Madeira a glorious, sub-tropical holiday resort, with soupy, *fortified wines fit only for sauce-making, or a serious wine region? Internationally famous by the 17th century, modern Madeira was shaped by the *phylloxera epidemic 100 years ago, which totally wiped out the vineyards. Replantation was with *hybrid vines resistant to phylloxera, but vastly inferior to the noble and traditional Malvasia (or Malmsey), Boal (or Bual), Verdelho and Sercial varieties. Now there are incentives to replant the vineyards with noble grapes, but progress is slow.

The typically burnt, tangy taste comes from the process of heating the young wine, either directly in huge vats or more gently in wooden casks. Most Madeira is then fortified and sweetened with grape juice before bottling. Almost all basic types are made from Tinta Negra Mole and new European Union rules mean that these wines must be labelled as Dry, Medium-dry, Medium-rich and Rich. Any wine labelled with the name of one of the noble grapes must (from 1993) contain at least 85 per cent of that variety. Such wines are very likely to be found among the Reserves (five years old), Special Reserves (ten years old), Exceptional Reserves (15 years old) and Vintage wines (from a single year, aged in cask for 20 years, then in bottle for two years). The best Madeira can survive to a great age but it’s a rare beast in modern times. Reserves of specified age should be drunk as available; only vintage wines benefit from cellaring (the best for 50 years or more).

Today, the wine undergoes its normal fermentation either prior or after to being treated to the "estufagem" process. To produce the sweeter variety the treatment is used prior to fermentation. The process involves the heat of the sun and it is assisted by hot water pipes to maintain the temperature between 40º-50º C. for a period of six months.

There are four main different types of Madeira that are named after the grape from which it is made. The driest is Sercial that normally is aged for at least eight years. It is a dry wine drunk as an apéritif or with fish, and best served slightly chilled. Verdelho is sweeter in taste and classifies as a medium-dry wine and often used to accompany a slice of fruity cake. Bual is a dark and nutty medium-sweet wine and often served as an alternative to a Port wine. Malmsey is much the sweeter and heavier of the four, and happily drunk as an after-dinner digestive. There are available bottles that can be purchased that carry a date from 100 to 200 years old!

Bairrada

Situated in the central coastline, this region has a mild climate and a smooth surface. The Bairrada wines occupy about 20 000 ha, distributed over approximately 50000 explorations. Its low hills are of heavy limerick clay which gives body and typical Portuguese bite to its overwhelmingly (85%) red wine. A moderate climate, prone to sea mists, helps its balance and acidity.

Most of the credit for quality must go to the local red grape, the Baga. Wines blended with a high proportion of Baga have deep fruitiness, splendid color and vigor, and in ageing will resist oxidation for years. Other red grapes are Bastardo, Castelão, Moreto and Tinta Pinheira. Concerning white wine stocks Bairrada presents Bical, Maria Gomes, Cercial, Rabo d'Ovelha, Tamarez and Arinto. Maria Gomes is fairly neutral, but leavened and made aromatic by the cryptic but excellent Bical.

A region that is a major red wine producer in Portugal and is located on the coastal plain lying slightly inland from the sea to the town of Aveiro, and then south down to the town of Coimbra. The municipalities that are included are Anadia, Mealhada, Oliveira do Bairro, and part of Águeda, Aveiro, Cantanhede, Coimbra and Vagos. The red wine produced here is noted for its smoothness and suavity, deep in colour and full-bodied, acquiring a brownish hue as it ages. The white wines are fairly robust, fruity with a hint of lemon. The rosé ranges in colour and are fresh and fruity. Sparkling wines are produced in white and rosé and range from “Brut” to “Medium Dry”.

There are many labels but the most well known ones include Acácio, Adega Coop.Mogofores, Aliança, Angelus, António Carvalheira, Arcos de Rei, Arneirinho, Atlantic Wines, Bairrada Garrafeira, Barrocão, Bela Fonte, Borlido, Calçada, Casa do Canto, Casa de Saima, Casa de Sarmento, Caves Aliança, Caves Messias, Caves Neto Costa, Caves Primavera, Caves São João, Caves Valdarcos, Chão de Conde, Conde de Cantanhede, DJF Vinhos, Director, Encosta de Mouros, Frei João, Galeria Bical, Gonçalves Faria, Hotel Palace do Bussaco, Império, Lar do Forno, Luís Pato, Marquês de Marialva, Montanha, Monte Crasto, Moura Basto, Neto Costa, Nobilis, Pontão, Primavera, Quinta das Bágeiras, Quinta de Baixo, Quinta do Carvalhinho, Quinta da Dôna, Quinta do Formal, Quinta de Foz de Arouce, Quinta do Passarão, Quinta de Pedralvites, Quinta da Pedreira, Quinta do Poço do Lobo, Quinta do Ribeirinho, Quinta da Rigodeira, Quinta de São Lourenço, Quinta do Valdoeiro, Quinta Vale do Mogo, Reserva, São Domingos, Secular Cave, Serra, Sidónio de Sousa, Silvanense, Sogrape, Solar de Francesas, Terra Franca, Terras de Sicó, V.C.C., and Vinhas da Faia. Special reference has to be made to the fine wines that can be found from the cellar of Buçaco.

Vinho Verde DOC

Vinho Verde is a region, a wine and a style of wine. ‘Green’ only in the sense of being young, Vinho Verde can be red or white, and in a Portuguese restaurant the term often refers simply to the younger wines on the wine list. The demarcated Vinho Verdes, however, come from north-west Portugal. The reds are an acquired taste, and drunk by few outside the region ­ though I do claim to be one of those few. Both red and white are strongly acidic, usually with a prickle of fizz, and are best drunk young and chilled with the local cuisine. The whites range from sharply lemony to aromatically flowery (when made from the Loureiro and Trajadura grapes) and extravagantly fruity (the Alvarinho grape). Because the climate is damp and mild, vines have to be trained high, sometimes even up trees, to protect them from fungal infections. Some, however, are now successfully trained low with the advantages of mechanization.

These wines are aptly named Vinho Verde (Green Wine) as they are picked early and drunk young. The Portuguese home market consumes more red than white Vinho Verde, whilst the white is exported. It is mainly yellow in color but some have a suggestion of slight green. They classify as a semi-sparkling wine and have a slightly biting or prickling quality and a refreshing twang. The vines are kept clear of the ground by being draped on trees or specially constructed trellises. This serves a double purpose, firstly by freeing the land beneath for cultivation, and secondly, protecting the vine against damp and parasitic rot. These wines have a lower alcohol content. The appellation region of Vinho Verde is from south of Porto up to the Spanish boarder. The towns they cover are in six groups:

Amarante - (Amarante, Marco de Canavezes)
Basto - (Cbabeceiras de Basto, Mondim de Basto, Ribeira de Pena)
Braga - (Amares, Barcelos, Braga, Espseonde, Fafe, Guimarães, Póvoa do Lanhoso,
Santo Tirso, Vieira do Minho, Vila Nova de Famalição, Vila Verde)
Lima - (Arcos-de-Valdevez, Ponte de Barca, Ponte de Lima, Viana do Castelo)
Monção - (Melgaço, Monção)
Penafiel - (Felgueiras, Lousada, Paços de Ferreira, Paredes, Penafiel)

Douro

The English discovered the wine of the mountainous Douro River valley in the late 17th century and gradually transformed it from a dry, red table wine to the sweet, fortified desert wine now famous as Port, or Porto. However, even today, only about half of the wine produced in this region is turned into Porto. The rest is made into table wine, which was awarded DOC status in 1982. Production here is controlled by an organization called the Casa do Douro.

For many years the table wine of the Douro was treated as a poor cousin of Porto. Most of it was drunk locally and little attention was paid to making a distinctive quality wine. In the 1960s and 1970s, efforts to produce a wider range of fine table wines continued with notable success. In the early 1980s another producer released a special selection estate-bottled Douro red that has gained respect as a world-class wine.

In the last decade there has been a proliferation of fine estate bottlings from one end of the Douro to the other. Several large wineries are also buying from numerous small growers to produce fine wines in ultramodern facilities. The Douro River Valley has special physical characteristics. The vines are grown on steep hills of schistose shale soil, rising several thousand feet from the banks of the Douro River.

The richest, fullest wines, with the best characteristics for Porto, come from slopes near the river where the soils are the poorest and driest and the temperatures the highest. These stressful conditions produce wines of immense concentration, body and color but somewhat low acidity; in a word Porto wine.

Superior Douro table wines, however, require grapes that provide a more delicate balance between sugar and acid. As a result, producers have become skilled at blending higher acid grapes from the mid and upper-slopes with grapes from the lower ones.

The principal varieties used for Douro table wines are the same as those used for Porto: Touriga Nacional is balanced and firm, yet elegant. Tinta Roriz is powerful with lots of color and tannin. Tinta Barroca is feminine and charming. Touriga Francesa is highly floral, while Tinto Cao is refined and delicate, in contrast to Tinta da Barca which is very spicy.

Dao

Dao’s entire perimeter is encased by three mountain ranges - the Bucaco, Caramulo and Serra da Estrela - that block the Atlantic winds and preserve Dao’s special Mediterranean-like climate. Rainy winters are followed by hot, dry summers and long cool autumns. This is ideal for the slow fermentation of velvety wines with powerful aromas.

Crossed by the Mondego and Dao rivers, the region has 50,000 acres under vine and produces 5.5 million cases annually - 80% red and 20% white.

The western part - best suited for white wine - is relatively flat, more fertile and low in altitude (between 1,000 and 1,300 feet). The eastern region - ideal for red - is on the foothills of the Serra da Estrela mountain range at about 1,300 to 2,000 feet. Dao vineyards are mostly small parcels interspersed with fruit orchards, farmland, oak, pine, olive and eucalyptus trees. The soils are nearly all granite with a small amount of schistose gray Mediterranean slate. The low fertility of the soil leads to vigorous vines of moderate productivity, ideal for quality.

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