Portugal has undergone something of a wine revolution over the past two decades, modernizing its winemaking technologies, styles and attitudes. This archetypal Old World country has Long been famous for its fortified wines (Port and Madeira) and its light, tangy Vinho Verde. But it is now attracting much attention for its New wave of Rich, ripe table wines, especially the reds of the Douro Valley.
Portugal's place in the wine world is arguably more about its cork production than its wine, but that largely depends on which period of history you choose.
In the 18th century, when England's supply of French wine was threatened by deteriorating international relations, the Portuguese Vineyard proved more than capable of Filling the void. It was only in the 20th century, when international demand for Portuguese wines dwindled to almost nothing, that Portugal took the lead in world cork production. In the 21st century, the Portuguese cork industry is struggling (due to the increasing popularity of plastic stoppers and metal screw caps), but the country's wines are on the rise again, led by the Dry reds of the Douro and Dao.
Portugal's many grape varieties and their countless regional synonyms are the bane of ampelographers.
Some are endemic to Portugal (e. g. Touriga Nacional), while others are shared with neighboring Spain (e. g.
- Origin : Most certainly from the north of Portugal, it is a very old grape variety, present for a very long time in the Douro Valley where it is very often associated with other grape varieties to produce the famous Port. It can also be found in the United States (California, etc.), Australia, Spain, Mexico, etc.
natural sweet wines from the region of Portugal go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, mature and hard cheese or sweet desserts such as recipes of spaghetti squash bolognese style, gourmet croc-monsieur with comté cheese or rice with milk.
On the nose in the region of Portugal often reveals types of flavors of non oak, walnut or espresso and sometimes also flavors of baking spice, cigar box or tar. In the mouth in the region of Portugal is a powerful with a good balance between acidity and sweetness.
With a production capacity of 691,000 litres, the Quinta do Ataíde winery in the Vilariça Valley will be exclusively used for unfortified wine production. The investment sum is triple the amount initially estimated back in 2018, and the winery is a key part of the company’s strategy to double premium unfortified wine sales by 2030. ‘Since the original plans were announced, we have decided to significantly increase the size of the facility as a result of our confidence in the growing demand ...
Marks & Spencer is no stranger to achieving top scores at the Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), and to celebrate its results the leading retailer has selected its favourite award-winning wines from this year’s awards, for customers to purchase exclusively on marksandspencer.com. Customers can choose from a carefully selected mix of six delicious winter-warming reds; an irresistible mix of crisp, refreshing, complex white wines from the Old and New World; a mix of both red and white wi ...
If you’re still on the hunt for presents, see these great wine gifts selected by the Decanter team for Christmas 2021, covering a wide range of budgets and options. Best wine gifts for Christmas 2021 Waste Cork Wine Cooler Price: £75 Available at: Very Good & Proper During the production of wine corks, some 25% of the raw material is wasted. This innovative wine cooler, designed in collaboration with London-based architecture practice Mowat & Company, repurposes the cork waste by ...
