Portugal has a long and distinguished history as a wine producing country dating back to the time of the Phoenicians. There is ample evidence in the amphorae still in use in southern Portugal that Romans continued the wine-making tradition.
But Portugal's success as a wine producing nation is founded on trade and by the fifteenth century merchant firms were already prospering in the north of the country and on the Atlantic island of Madeira.

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By the eighteenth century Port/Porto  had emerged as one of Portugal's leading wines. In order to protect its authenticity the Douro Valley was delimited in its own right in 1756 making it the world's first great demarcated wine region. The Douro became a role-model for other wine regions world-wide.
In Portugal other significant wine producing regions like  Vinho Verde,  Dao, Colares and Setubal were demarcated early this century.

Wine Regions    Topography and Climate    Wealth of Different Grape Varieties   

Portuguese Wineries

Cooperativa Agrícola de Reguengos de Monsaraz
Cooperativa Agrícola e Adega de Reguengos de Monsaraz, Alentejo.

AJF Port Wines
AJF has a lot of information on ports on line, plus a price list and ordering instructions for their own.

Burmester Port
The Burmester Company, originally established in 1730, has specialized since 1750 in the production and export of Port Wines. The name Burmester comes from "Burgmeester", an important civic position held by the family during the Middle Age in Moelln, a small German city in the south of Luebeck.

Cockburn's Port
In 1815 Robert Cockburn, a member of a famous scottish family, founded the company of Cockburn's in Vila Nova de Gaia, opposite Oporto at the mouth of the river Douro. the Cockburn family crest, a cockered on a coronet, has become a symbol of the company and appears on all bottles of Cockburn's port.

Dow's Port
A very well known name in Port, Dow's was established in 1798 by a Portuguese merchant, Bruno da Silva. Dow's is made with Touriga Francesca, Touriga Nacional, Barroca, Roriz and Tinto Cão.

Ferreira Port
The most distinguished of all Port houses. A.A. Ferreira is the only Port wine company founded by a family of Douro wine growers and is located in the Upper Douro Region which is the home of Port wine.

Gilberts Port
The name Gilberts appears associated to Port Wine for the first time about one century ago. Karl Gilbert, born 1875 in Metz, Lorraine, arrived still in his youth to Oporto, birth place of his mother, belonging to a family devoted for several generations to the Port Wine trade.

Gould Campbell Port
Gould Campbell was founded in 1797 when Garret Gould, prompted by the political strife wracking his native Ireland, sailed to the hospitable shores of Portugal.

Graham's Port
Graham's was founded in 1820 by Scottish brothers William and John Graham. Graham's Vintage Ports have always been rated in the top two or three of all Port houses. In some undeclared years Malvedos wine is so good that it is bottled as Malvedos Vintage Port.

Offley Port
Imported from Portugal. Offley Forrester was established in 1737 by William Offley who was joined by Joseph James Forrester in 1831. Joseph Forrester studied wine growing, used the best plants and reorganized the vineyards.

Quinta do Vesuvio
Although historical records mention Vesuvio as early as 1565, it was primarily under the auspices of the Douro's redoubtable widow, Dona Antónia Adelaide Ferreira, that this vineyard estate acquired its legendary reputation.

Rozès Port
As the only French-founded Port wine producer, Rozès differs considerably from the English and Portuguese port wine houses. Stop by their site and see how!

Sandeman Port
Sandeman has a vintage port from 1982 and 1994, and a single quinta vintage from 1988. They also have the typical 20-year tawny, LBV, and other ports.

Smith Woodhouse
Most of the Smith Woodhouse wines come from the Rio Torto area in the Upper Douro, the majority of them still produced by treading the grapes by foot in stone lagares.

Taylor, Fladgate and Yeatman
In existance for over 300 years, TF&Y is one of the vey oldest Port companies. It is the last totally independent company of the original British Port houses and it is still family owned and managed.

Warre's Port
The pioneer and oldest of all the great British Port companies is Warre's, founded in 1670. Their principal vineyard, Quinta da Cavadinha, is located in Alto Douro, some 120 Kms east of the city of Oporto.

WINE REGIONS

Since Portugal joined the European Union in 1986 a large number of new wine regions have been officially recognised. There are now four tiers to Portugal's wine legislation.

• The first level, 'Denominacao de Origem Controlada' (DOC), includes the established regions formerly known by the name 'Regiao Demarcada'.

• The second tier of newer wine regions goes under the heading of'lndicado de Proveniencia Regulamentada' (IPR). Grape varieties, maximum permitted yields and ageing requirements are rigorously controlled at both levels.

• The title 'Vinho Regional' covers a series of larger wine regions and permits greater flexibility in terms of grape varieties and ageing

• Wines that fall outside the DOC, IPR or Vinho Regional requirements are classified as'Vinho de Mesa' (Table Wine).

Few countries of Portugal's size can boast so many different styles of wine Vineyards covering the country from north to south putting Portugal firmly among the world's ten largest wine producing nations.

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TOPOGRAPHY AND CLIMATE

This small country on Europe's westernmost point is a land of contrasts. The wines are just as varied and diverse as the climate and topography of this part of the Iberian Peninsula, Portugal's coastal wine regions are strongly influenced by the Atlantic, the moderating effect of which diminishes rapidly beyond the mountains inland.

As a result, light fresh-flavoured dry white wines are produced in close proximity to full-bodied reds and rich, venerable fortified wines. There are certainly plenty to chose from.

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Wealth of different grape varieties

Portugal has a wealth of different grape varieties many of which are unique. Where else in the world can you find red wines packed with the wild berry fruit character of grapes like Touriga Nacional, Baga or Periquita! Or distinctive white wines made from the spicy Joao Pires, the delicate Loureiro or the scented Roupeiro! Uncork a bottle of Portuguese wine and you immediately unleash inimitable aromas and flavours.

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VINHO VERDE

Portugal's largest DOC region stretches from the hills south of the River Douro to the River Minho in the north. Vines flourish in this relatively cool, damp maritime climate and the countryside, divided into thousands of tiny small holdings, is some of the most intensively cultivated in Portugal.

The region's granite soils give rise to Vinho Verde ('green wine'), so called because it is best drunk whilst the wine retains its fresh, youthful character. For this reason few Vinhos Verdes are bottled with a vintage date on the label and the wine is therefore assumed to be from the most recent harvest. In the extreme north of the region around the town of Monaco, the Alvarinho grape produces a highly individual, aromatic style of wine which will keep in bottle for up to three years.

GRAPE VARIETIES
White: Loureiro, Trajadura, Paderna, Azal, Avesso, Alvarinho
Red: Brancelho, Perdal, Vinhao, Borracal, Espadeiro, Azal Tinto Min Alcohol: 8% / vol.

WINES
White: crisp, refreshing dry wines, naturally low in alcohol and bottled with a slight petillance or sparkle. Some medium-dry for export. Varietal wines from Loureiro and Trajadura tend to be more aromatic. The Alvarinho produces delicate, dry white wines with slightly higher levels of alcohol.
Red: deep, youthful colour; dry and astringent, naturally low in alcohol and bottled with a slight petillance or sparkle good to drink with rich local food

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PORTO/PORT

Named after the city of Porto (Vinho do Porto), the Port vineyards 80km inland were first demarcated in 1756 in recognition of the unique physical conditions of the Douro Valley. Protected from rain bearing Atlantic westerlies by a range of mountains to the west, the boundaries of the region correspond to a large outcrop of schist.
Steep slopes along the River Douro and its tributaries have to be terraced to support vineyards. With over three centuries of accumulated tradition, Port is one of the worlds most respected fortified wines.

GRAPE VARIETIES
Red: Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Tinta Roriz, Tinta Barroca, Tinto Cao, Tinta Amarela, Mourisco Tinto, Bastardo
White: Gouveio, Viosinho, Rabigato, Malvasia Fina, Donzelinho
Min Alcohol: Red 19% / vol. White 20 % / vol.

WINES
Port is a rich, fortified wine produced by arresting the fermentation with the addition of grape spirit known as aguardente. This leaves Port wine with natural grape sugar and a ripe, fruity flavour.
Red: varies according to style from young vibrant "Ruby" to smooth distinguished "Tawny" or a concentrated, venerable "Vintage".
White: varies from light, dry and slightly nutty in style to rich, sweet "lagrimas".

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