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Click on the map to Navigate Portugal on Google.
© 2008 Google - Imagery © 2008 Digital Globe, Cnes/Spot Image, -
Map data © 2008 Tele Atlas AND - Terms of Use
Going up the Douro River (Rio Douro) into the northern interior of Portugal and on into the Transmontana area you enter the Trás-os-Montes.
In the Cima Corgo, Quinta do Bom Retiro has 62 hectares of 25 year old vines.
This region produces various wines from the somewhat coarse and very alcoholic to light sparkling and semi-sweet. Well known labels include Tavedo, Tres Bagos, Quinta dos Bons Ares and Valle Pradinhos.
Quinta dos Bons Ares, has 20 hectares of vines at an altitude of 600 m. The white Viozhino grape dominates, but Cabernet Sauvignon, Riesling, Merlot and Touriga Nacional are also grown.
Click on the image to Navigate the Obidos Lagoon at Google.
© 2008 Google - Imagery © 2008 Digital Globe, Cnes/Spot Image, -
Map data © 2008 Tele Atlas AND - Terms of Use
Arelho, Foz do Arelho
Villa Apartment for 2-4 adults + 2 children, shared pool
Paula, Nadadouro Apartment for 2 adults. private pool.
The Ribatejo Wine Route has four different itineraries, in distinct Ribatejo categories.
Gothic Treasure, beautiful cellars in Azambuja, Cartaxo, Golegã and Santarém – the Gothic Capital.
Bulls and Horses, with producers of wine, bulls and horses. The bullfighting and the Reserva Natural do Estuário do Tejo (Natural Reserve of the Estuary of the Tagus).
By the Tagus, along the river with a largest diversity of cellars to visit in a landscape distinguished by vineyards.
Manueline Treasures – Templar Castles, cellars and cultural heritage. One of the most important regions of the birth of the Portuguese nation.
Central Portugal and Silver Coast Holidays
In the 9th century BC the Phoenicians introduced the production of wine to Iberia. In 1980 the Algarve wine region (Lagoa, Lagos, Portimão, and Tavira) was finally demarcated.
In Algarve - white, red, and liqueurous castas are are authorized in the demarcated region.
Lagos is a wine producing region famous for its moscatel wine, and also for a strong alcoholic spirit. "Medronho" is perhaps one of the most famous local brews made from distilled medronho berries.
Originally created in back room stills, Medronho is now a commercial product chiefly in Silves and Monchique. The aguardente de medronho is made with berries from "The Strawberry Tree (Arbutus unedo L.)" which is an evergreen shrub shown above. (the fruit sometimes called arbutus-berry, looks a little like strawberries).
The following designations for spirit drinks in the European Union are listed for the Algarve.
Aguardente do Algarve
Bagaceira do Algarve
Medronheira do Algarve
A bottle of Licor Beirão
Licor Beirao is a Portuguese liqueur. Beirao is Portuguese for "from Beira", a former administrative region.
Its recipe is a secret. The producer, J. Carranca Redondo, Lda., only states it is made from a double distillation of seeds and herbs from all over the world, including Malaysia, Brazil and Thailand.
The liqueur was produced in the 19th century as a medicinal product for stomach aches by a pharmacy in Lousã. In the late 19th century alcoholic beverages were no longer qualified as medicinal but the liqueur was kept in production in a small factory owned by the son-in-law of the original producer.
Info from Wikipedia
Touriga leaf
Touriga Nacional is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal's finest. Despite the notoriously low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for the best ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the Douro and Dao.
Touriga Nacional provides structure and body to wine, with high tannins and concentrated flavours of black fruit. Jancis Robinson has compared its relationship with Touriga Francesa to the partnership between Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc, the former providing structure, the latter filling out the bouquet.
Info from Wikipedia.
Ripening Aragonez/Tempranillo grapes
This grape plays a role in the production of wines in two regions of Portugal, central Alentejo and Douro. In Alentejo Central it is known as Aragonez and used in red table wine blends of variable quality, while in the Douro it is known as Tinta Roriz and mainly used in blends to make port wine.
Tempranillo is a grape native to northern Spain and widely cultivated as far south as La Mancha. The two major regions that grow Tempranillo are Rioja in North Central Spain and Ribera del Duero, which lies a little further to the south. Substantial quantities are also grown in the Penedès, Navarra and Valdepeñas regions.
Info from Wikipedia
Quinta Verde - just north of Sintra
Colares sand wine - Info from Wikipedia
Colares is type of wine produced in sandy soils outside Lisbon between the foothills of Sintra and Roca Cape. Because of Lisbon's urban sprawl, the lands available for vineyards became so small, that the demands has always been higher than the production, making it one of the most expensive Portuguese wines. The Colares sand wine tastes has a soft blend of nuts and red fruits. Preferred temperature for consumption is 18 degrees Celsius for red wines and 12 for white wines.
Here is an excellent Map of the area from Google Maps.
© 2008 Google - Imagery © 2008 Digital Globe, Cnes/Spot Image, -
Map data © 2008 Tele Atlas AND - Terms of Use
Arelho, Foz do Arelho
Apartment for 2-4 adults + 2 children, shared pool
Estremadura has a long history in national viticulture. This region’s vine area is made up of traditional grape varieties and the most famous international ones. Estremadura’s diversity of relief and microclimates enables the region to produce a great variety of wines.
Formerly known as West, Estremadura is located north west of Lisbon, occupying an area of about 40 km. The climate is mild due to Atlantic influence. Summers are fresh and winters soft, though colder in areas farther from the sea.
Although the region has good potential for the production of quality wines, about fifteen years ago it was essentially known for producing large quantities of low quality wine. Since then, the vines and wineries have been restructured. One of the restructuring steps involved planting new grape varieties, chosen according to quality, not quantity. Today, Estremadura’s wines are known for their good quality/price ratio
The region focused on the growing of the noblest Portuguese and foreign grape varieties. In 1993, a new type of wine was created: the Vinho Regional da Estremadura (free translation: Estremadura Regional Wine). This new type of wine encouraged producers to study the potential of the different grape varieties and, currently, most wines produced in Estremadura are regional (the law for DOC wines is very restrictive on the use of grape varieties).
Estremadura is made up of nine Denominations of Origin: Colares, Carcavelos and Bucelas (in the south, near Lisbon), Alenquer, Arruda, Torres Vedras, Lourinha and Obidos (in the centre of the region) and Encostas d’Aire (in the north, close to the Beiras region).
Extract from Infovini Copyright © 2008 Infovini
"Bottled at Origin" printed on a Spanish QWpsr cork
Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions (often abbreviated to QWpsr or simply "quality wines") is an EU-sponsored classification regulating and defining the status of "quality wines" according to production method, management and geographical location.
This article continues below with DOC / Appellation / PDO....
Continue reading "DOC Appellation and Quality in Portugal" »
The Estate of Valdoeiro, located in the rural area of Vacariça, Mealhada county, is one of the most beautiful and well planned agricultural properties of the Bairrada AOC region.
Bairrada wine, is produced in the Região Demarcada da Bairrada. The name "Bairrada" is from "barros" (clay) due to the clay soils of the region. Although the region was classified in 1979, it is an ancient vineyard region. The vines exposure to the sun, favours the further maturity of the grapes. The Baga casta is intensely used in the wines of the region.
Photos from Caves Messias
Info from Wikipedia:
Cellar in the Alentejo
Located in southern Portugal, Alentejo is ideal for the production of high quality wines. The grapes are planted in vast vineyards extending over rolling plains under the scorching sun which shines on the grapes and ripens them.
Alentejo produces white wines with an intense original nose which are fruity. The red wines are slightly acidic with a bouquet of very ripe fruits yet soft and balanced on the palate.
Alentejo Wines are, with Vinho Verde, the preferred wine for the Portuguese consumer representing 47% of the quality wine market' yet with only 12% of the national wine production.
The Península de Setúbal - Sado
Moscatel wines - Muscat (grapes)
Moscatel is a liqueurous wine produced in the Setubal Peninsula. Since 1870, most of the Setúbal Moscatels have been grown with special care. And the most known is "Moscatel Roxo", a wine from that casta which is aged 20 years in the cellars.
There is another variety of Moscatel wine, the "Moscatel de Favaios", in the Regiao Demarcada do Douro, it is made from the "Galego" (white) casta.
Madeira is a fortified wine made in the Madeira Islands of Portugal, which is prized equally for drinking and cooking; the latter use including the dessert plum in madeira.
The method of vinification is similar to that employed in other parts of Portugal, but the method employed for hastening the maturation of the wine is peculiar and characteristic.
This consists of subjecting the wine to a high temperature for a period of some months in buildings called estufas specially designed for this purpose. This process is meant to duplicate the effect of a long sea voyage of the aging barrels through tropical climates. Madeira was originally unfortified, but the addition of grape brandy increased its ability to survive long voyages.
The temperature varies from 35 to 60 C (100 to 140 F), according to the quality of the wine, the lower temperature being used for the better wines. The estufas are built of stone and are divided into compartments heated by means of hot air obtained from a system of stoves and flues.
Much of the characteristic flavor of Madeira is due to this practice, which hastens the mellowing of the wine and also tends to check secondary fermentation in as much as it is, in effect, a mild kind of pasteurization. Furthermore, the wine is deliberately exposed to air, causing it to oxidize. The resulting wine has a color similar to a tawny port. Wine tasters sometimes describe an oxidized wine as being maderized.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Vinho do Dao (Wine Region)
Vinho do Dao (or Dao wine) is a Portuguese wine from the Regiao Demarcada do Dao in Central Portugal. It is one of the oldest established wine regions in Portugal. Dao wine is produced in a mountainous region with a temperate climate, in the area of the Rio Mondego and Dao rivers in the north central region of Portugal. The region became a Denominacao de Origem Controlada (DOC) appellation in 1990. The Dao region is the origin of the Touriga Nacional vine that is the principle component of Port wine.
Information from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
North Portugal Villas
Fernao Pires (aka. Maria Gomes)
This Portuguese native is that country’s most planted grape, especially in the Ribatejo area. In Bairrada, Fernao Pires is known as Maria Gomes, and is the most familiar white grape variety. The best wines made from the grape exhibit excellent fruit character and strong aromatics, sometimes suggestive of pepper. Fernao Pires can be quite versatile, often used to produce flavorful dry, sweet and sparkling wines. The grape is also widely grown in South Africa.
Information from Appellation America Inc.
Douro wnes from Real Companhia Velha. Their range includes Quinta dos Aciprestes,
Quinta de Cidrô, Porca de Murça, Evel, Grandjó, Grantom.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Douro wine (Vinho do Douro), from the same region of port wines, originally were bitter wines, but the relation between Portugal and England led the English to enhance this wine with a kind of Portuguese brandy known as aguardente for it to support a voyage from Portugal to England. And since then, the wine only got better, and it appears by the first time in the registries of exports in 1679. Today's Douro wines are favourite table wines with some traits that are reminiscent of a port wine.
The "Barca Velha" is a widely notable wine, which is not only seen as, perhaps, the best Portuguese wine, but also as one of the best wines of the world.
A glass of tawny port.
The port wine vines need to grow on soil that is rich in schist and require a specific climate. Made using a unique vinification method, this wine is very special and known worldwide. The red varieties are the most common. The wine is produced in the beautiful landscape of the Douro Valley in Alto Douro region, a region that is now classified as World Heritage by UNESCO, and the wine is exported from the city of Porto, thus acquiring the name porto (or "port" in English-speaking countries). There are several varieties of port wine: some of the most popular are the tawny, white, ruby, and Late Bottled Vintage (L.B.V.).
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
