Portuguese Wines

Port is a fortified wine that has its origins in the Duoro Valley. It is produced from various grape varieties, though Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, Tinta Roriz, Touriga Francesca, and Tinta Cão are considered the best for the r... READ MORE

Tawny is a variety of fortified port that is usually oak-aged for around seven years (Reserva), but vintages may extend to ten, twenty, and even over forty years of age. These fortified red wines are praised for their complex aromatic pro... READ MORE

White port is a fortified wine made just like red port—by adding brandy during fermentation—but using white grapes instead of red. The blend most commonly includes native varieties such as Viosinho, Malvasia Fina, Códeg... READ MORE

Vintage Port is a style made from the best grapes of a single year harvest. It is considered the most prestigious and the highest quality port style. Vintage is not produced every year, but only when port houses decide that the wine is of... READ MORE

Ruby is the most common and the freshest style of fortified port wines. Made from various red grapes, Ruby ports are usually aged for three years, typically in steel or concrete tanks, and are considered to be an approachable introduction... READ MORE

This fortified wine produced in the volcanic Madeira Islands ranges from dry wines that are typically served as an aperitif to the ones high on the sweet scale that are usually enjoyed with desserts. Approximately 85% of Madeira is produc... READ MORE

Vinho Verde is a Portuguese appellation for a variety of wines made with native regional grapes. The appellation is located in northern Portugal, and it is mainly defined by the Minho river. Verde, which translates as greenREAD MORE

Touriga Nacional is a red grape variety indigenous to Portugal, mainly used to make port. It is predominately grown in the wine regions of Douro and Dão, and recently it has become an appreciated varietal dry wine, which offers gre... READ MORE

Verdelho is a white Portuguese grape that is mostly grown on Madeira Islands, and which is often used in fortified Madeira wines. The grape, dry varietal wines, or blends produced from Verdelho are also common in the Azores, Dão, S... READ MORE

Touriga Franca, also known as Touriga Francesa, is one of the most planted grape varieties in Portugal. It is used in the production of varietal wines, but it is mostly known as one of the quintessential grapes in red Douro blends and Por... READ MORE

Moscatel de Setúbal is a fortified dessert wine produced on the Portuguese Setúbal peninsula. Primarily made from Moscatel de Setúbal, internationally known as Muscat of Alexandria, the wines are fortified with grape ... READ MORE

Bairrada is a small and narrow Portuguese appellation situated along the Atlantic Ocean. The region is best known for varietal red wines made from the local Baga grape. This high-yield grape usually produces powerful reds that age well an... READ MORE

Encruzado is a white Portuguese variety mostly associated with the Dão DOC. The grape was mostly used in blends, but it has shown great potential for high quality and age-worthy varietal examples that gain complexity and character.... READ MORE

Arinto is a grape variety that most likely comes from Bucelas, Lisbon. The grape is cultivated in several wine regions, but it mostly became associated with Bucelas and Vinho Verde. It is used for dry and sparkling styles, including varie... READ MORE

Castelão is a native Portuguese red-skinned grape that is mostly associated with sandy soils of Setúbal, but it is also grown in Tejo and Alentejo. It is one of the most commonly planted Portuguese grapes that is known under... READ MORE

Late Bottled Vintage port is produced from a single year, and it is bottled after four to six years of age. Due to the slightly longer aging period, this style is more affordable than Vintage port, and it can be enjoyed immediately after ... READ MORE

Tinta Cão is one of the most popular red grapes in the Dão and Douro wine regions. It is one of the great ancient Portuguese grapes, but its parentage has not yet been clarified. The grape is used in varietal and blends, and... READ MORE

Douro DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada) is one of Portugal's most prestigious wine regions, located in the Douro Valley, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Established in 1756, it is among the oldest demarcated wine regions in the wo... READ MORE

Fernão Pires is a white grape native to Portugal that is mostly associated with the wine regions of Tejo (Ribatejo) and Bairrada (where it is known as Maria Gomes). The grape is used in either varietals or blends, and it is also su... READ MORE

Baga is a red grape variety mostly used in the Portuguese Bairrada appellation. This dark-skinned grape can produce wines of various characters, but until the 1980s, most producers used it for inexpensive bulk wines. When the approach and... READ MORE

Antão Vaz is a native Portuguese grape that can produce versatile white wines of excellent quality. It is a tough and resilient white grape that is considered a signature variety in Alentejo, where it prospers in a dry and warm cli... READ MORE

Ramisco is a red grape native to Portugal. It is mostly cultivated on the sandy soils of Colares appellation, located northwest of Lisbon. Ramisco typically produces wines that are high in acidity and tannins in their youth. The grape is ... READ MORE

Sercial is a white Portuguese grape variety best known for its use in dry Madeira wines. The term Sercial is also used for this particular style of Madeira wine. The origin of the variety remains unclear, but it is most likely a native Po... READ MORE

Rabigato is an old Portuguese white grape used in varietals and blends. The grape is mostly found in Douro, but it is also cultivated in Trás-os-Montes. It is best known for its use in blends, typically in white port together with ... READ MORE

Alfrocheiro is a little-known Portuguese grape that has the potential to create fruity red wines of excellent quality. The grape is probably native to Portugal, but there is no information about its origin and predecessors. It is assumed ... READ MORE

Vinhão is a Portuguese grape that is mainly cultivated in Minho and Douro. The grape probably originated in Minho, where most plantings are found today. It was brought to the Douro in the 18th century and renamed Sousão. In ... READ MORE

Colheita is a type of Tawny port made with single-harvest grapes. They have to be aged for at least seven years, though most producers opt for longer barrel maturation and decide to bottle it when the wine is ready and considered of suffi... READ MORE

Loureiro is a white grape variety mainly cultivated in Portugal. It is one of the most common grapes used in the production of the legendary Portuguese Vinho Verde. Some amount is also found in Spanish Galicia, where it is known as Lourei... READ MORE

Avesso is a native Portuguese grape mainly cultivated in the Minho wine region. The grape generally results in crisp and fresh wines of very good quality. Avesso is used in varietal and blends, and it is mainly included in Vinho Verde win... READ MORE

Mencía or Jaen is a grape whose origin is associated with the Iberian peninsula. In the past, it was believed that Mencía and Jaen are two separate varieties, but recent research has shown that they are genetically ... READ MORE

Sercialinho is a Portuguese grape variety created in the 1950s at the Alcobaça research center in Bairrada. For some time, it was believed to be a cross of Sercial and Alvarinho, but ti was most likely created as a cross of Uva C&a... READ MORE

Alvarelhão is a red Portuguese variety mainly found in Douro and Dão wine regions. The grape is one of the old varieties with a lot of potential, but it has slightly declined in popularity. It is used in varietals and blends... READ MORE

Often dubbed as Vintage port’s little brother, Single Quinta Vintage is a type of port made from the grapes of a single harvest that come from a single estate (quinta). They are produced in the same way as Vintage port—not fil... READ MORE

Bucelas is a small Portuguese wine region (DOC) located just north of Lisbon that produces white wines mainly from the native Arinto variety. Some claim that the wine has been produced here since the ancient Romans and Phoenicians, but it... READ MORE

Arinto dos Açores is possible the most important grape variety on the Azores. The variety is native to the region, and it is mainly cultivated on the island of Pico. It typically produces fresh, lively wines with good acidity and a... READ MORE

Colares is a small Portuguese wine region located north of Lisbon, on the sandy soils next to the Atlantic. The wines are made from the native Ramisco grape, which produces rich and concentrated red wines with plenty of tannins and good a... READ MORE