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Portuguese WinesOne of the great pleasures on an Algarve holiday is a glass or two (?) of one of the many Portuguese wines. Wines are generally (and pleasingly) great value for money. My only real wine qualification is that I know what I like. Whilst generally I don’t tend to go for the expensive stuff, I do find the table wines very drinkable, rather than outstanding. If you fancy something of higher quality, look on the labels for Reserva (a superior quality wine of a single vintage) or Garrafeira (a Reserva wine aged in a barrel for a year or two and then a further period aged in the bottle). These will obviously cost more. Red wine - VinhoTinto Most of the wine you drink in the Algarve, is not grown there, but comes from further north. This includes the red wines from the Alentejo and Vinho Verdes from the Minho region, in the far northwest of the country. Altogether, there are well over forty wine producing regions in Portugal. Over the past ten years or so, with modern wine-making techniques, Portuguese wine has steadily improved in quality, and today they have wines that can compete and win wine challenges internationally. Wines from the AlgarveIn 1980, the Algarve region was demarcated into four DOC (Controlled Denomination of Origin) regions; Lagoa, Lagos, Portimão and Tavira. These regions are designated growing areas governed by the rules and regulations of the government and local governing body to encourage the production of quality wines. There are 14 of these DOC regions in Portugal.The red Algarve wines generally have a high alcoholic content, and both the reds and the whites are full-bodied with low acidity. Portuguese wines - Vinho VerdesVinho Verde is from the Minho region in the far the Northwest of Portugal. Vinho Verde means green wine, which has nothing to do with its colour, but because it is a young wine. It is not aged because the grapes have a low sugar content. The wines can be red, white or rosé, but mostly white, and are usually slightly sparkling. The reds tend to have a deep red colour, with the whites the colour of straw.They have a relatively low alcohol content (typically 8% to 11.5%) and are great, served chilled, as a summer drink or as an aperitif. The whites are extremely refreshing on hot summer days, and perfect to drink with fish or seafood. Portuguese wines - Alentejo WinesLocated in southern Portugal, Alentejo produces high quality wines and are some of the most popular Portuguese wines. Alentejo produces both red and white wines which tend to be quite fruity.Portuguese wines - Dão WinesDão is famous for its full-bodied red wines and fruity white wines and are considered by those in the know, to be amongst some of the best table wines in Portugal.
Celebrity Portuguese winesThere are an increasing number of small privately owned vineyards in Portugal. Perhaps the most famous, is Vida Nova, a label owned by pop-star Sir Cliff Richard. I have not tried any myself, but I did watch Sir Cliff on the UK’s The ‘F’ Word cookery programme, where he failed to recommend his own wine in a blind tasting. Make your own mind up.Return from Portuguese Wines page to Portuguese Food page
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Portuguese wines come in four varieties:
