Portuguese wine The traditional rebelo boat, used to transport Port Wine from the Douro Valley to the cellars near the city of Porto. Portuguese wine is part of the ancient traditions introduced to the region by ancient civilizations such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and mostly the Romans. It started to export its wines to Rome during the Roman Empire. Modern exports developed with trade to England after a treaty in 1703. Portugal has the oldest appellation system in the world, the Douro Valley. This region and Vinho Verde region, in the Northwest produces some of the world's finest, unique and highest value-added wines. Alentejo and Dão regions produces fruitful flavour wines, suitable for a casual wine drinker. Portugal has two wine producing regions protected by UNESCO as World Heritage: the Douro Valley Wine Region (Douro Vinhateiro) and Pico Island Wine Region (Ilha do Pico Vinhateira). Portugal has a large variety of native breeds (about 500), producing a very wide variety of different wines with distinctive personality. The Oxford Companion to Wine describes the country as having "a treasure trove of indigenous grape varieties." In Portugal, the wine classification is done by Verde ("Green", Vinho Verde Region) and Maduro ("Mature", the rest of the country). With the quality and uniqueness of its wines, the country is a sizable and growing player in wine production, being in the top 10, with 4% of the world market (2003). The country is considered a traditional wine grower with 8% of its continental land dedicated to vineyards. Only the highest mountain peaks are unable to support viticulture. Portugal produces some of the world's best wines, as reflected in its success in international competitions. History Demarcated Wine Regions (D.O.C.) Vinhos Verdes Porto e Douro Dão Bairrada Bucelas Colares Carcavelos Setúbal Alentejo Lagoa Lagos Portimão Tavira Madeira In Mythology, Luso was son or companion of Bacchus, the god of winery and Feast. Mythically, Lusitania gained its name from Luso. Lusitania was an ancient Roman province in the present day Portugal. There are some theories that the Tartessians first cultivated vineyards in the Iberian Peninsula in the Tagus Valley about 2000 BC. Later in the 10th century BC, the Phoenicians introduced vineyards in the region. But it was in the 7th century BC, when the Greeks installed in the Peninsula that the wine making art developed. In Alcácer do Sal, a cratera was found, the cratera is a vase used by the Ancient Greeks to drink and dilute wine with water, showing that the Ancient Greeks also drank Portuguese wines. During the Roman rule over Portugal, the vineyard culture greatly developed, as the region supplied Rome with its wines. The wines became popular in Rome, leading to the demand being superior to wine production. During the Reconquista in the 12th and 13th centuries, with the populating (povoamento) of the conquered territories, areas that due to religion the Arabs reduced wine production, and planting grapevines were a priority. During this period, some new varieties were added to the ancient ones, from Burgundy came the French varieties. And during the period of discoveries, Henry the Navigator brought to the newly discovered island of Madeira the moscatel and malvasia from the Greek Island of Crete. Due to historical reasons, England was to where Portuguese wines were most exported. Exports of Portuguese wines from Northern Portugal to England are known since the 12th century. From this commerce a wide variety of wines started to be growned in Portugal. And, in 1758, the first wine-producing region of the world, the Região Demarcada do Douro was created under the orientation of Marquis of Pombal, in the Douro Valley. The demarcated region had the aim to guarantee the production of excellent quality wines. In the Reign of King Charles, the Região Demarcada do Vinho Verde and the Região Demarcada do Dão among Colares, Carcavelos, Setúbal, and Madeira were created. These wines were already famous before the creation of the Demarcated region. In 1979, Bairrada was added and in 1980 the Algarve region (Lagoa, Lagos, Portimão, and Tavira) was finally demarcated. In 1998, the Alentejo region was demarked by the gathering several smaller demarked regions created in 1995. Portugal is home to one of the greatest international wine success stories of modern times. That is the production and marketing of medium sweet, lightly sparking rosés. In the late 1980s, Mateus accounted for over 40% of the country's total table wine exports and was especially popular in Europe. Lancers is better known in the United States, where it continues to be successful. Castas The type of grapes (castas) is as important has the type of soil and climate, creating the different Portuguese wine breeds, the Castas - grape varieties. It produces distinctive wines from the Northern regions to Madeira Islands, passing by the Algarve and the Azores. The particular breed of wines makes Portugal a country with distinctive personality in terms of wine growing. But this distinctiveness brings more diffulties than advantages, due that it would be easier to produce international wine varieties. In Portugal only some varieties of castas are authorized in the Demarcated regions: • Vinhos Verdes - white and red castas • Porto - white and red castas • Douro - white and red castas • Dão - white and red castas • Bairrada - white and red castas • Bucelas - white castas • Colares - white and red castas • Carcavelos - generous castas • Setúbal - generous castas • Alentejo - white and red castas • Algarve - white, red, and Liqueurous castas • Madeira - generous castas Each region has its own Comissão Vitivinícola to supervise the quality of the wines in various aspects of the cultivation and preparation of vineyards, but also in assuring the quality of the wine, for instance, in its flavour and scent. The Appellation System The appellation system of the Douro region was created nearly two hundred years before that of France, in order to protect its superior wines from inferior ones. The quality and great variety of wines in Portugal are due to noble castas, microclimates, soils and proper technology. Officional designations: • Quality Wine Produced in a Specific Region (QWPSR) or VQPRD - Vinho de Qualidade Produzido em Região Determinada o These are the most protected wine and indicates a specific vineyard, such as Port Wine, Vinhos Verdes, and Alentejo Wines. These wines are labeled D.O.C. (Denominação de Origem Controlada) which secures a superior quality. • Regional Wine - Vinho Regional Carries with it a specific region within Portugal. • Table Wines - Vinho de Mesa carries with it only the producer and the designation that it's from Portugal. [edit] Vinhos Verdes Main article: Vinho Verde Wineyards in Vinho Verde Demarcated Region in Minho, Portugal Vinho Verde is produced from grapes which do not reach great doses of sugar. Therefore, Vinho Verde does not require an aging process. These wines are produced in the Northwest of Portugal in the historical regions of Minho and Douro Litoral. The region produces wines from very Ancient times; only in 1908 the region was demarcated. Vinho Verde is influenced by the nearby ocean and high humidity, typical aspects of the region that can be observed in the wine's refreshing taste. Thus, Vinho Verde always requires low temperatures before serving. It is known for having diuretic and digestible properties. And, are a category of wines that are unique and typical of Portugal. These are very light wines and naturally gassy. Vinho Verde wines are now largely exported, and are the most exported Portuguese wines after the Port Wine. The most popular variety in Portugal and abroad are the white wines, but there are also red and more rarely rosé wines. A notable variety of Vinho Verde is Vinho Alvarinho which is a special variety of white Vinho Verde, the production of Alvarinho is restricted by EU law to a small sub-region of Monção, in the northern part of the Minho region in Portugal. It has more alcohol (11.5 to 13%) than the other varieties (8 to 11.5%). [edit] Port Wine and Douro wines Main article: Port wine A glass of tawny port. The Port Wine vineyards grow in schilsted soil, with a particular climate and a particular vinification method, this wine is very particular and it is 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.). Main article: Vinho do Douro Douro wine (Vinho do Douro), from the same region of Port Wines, were bitter wines, but the relation between Portugal and England lead 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 favourable table wines with some traits that remember a Port Wine. The "Barca Velha" is a widely notable wine, and it is seen has, possibly, the best Portuguese wine, but it is also seen has one of the best wines of the world. [edit] Dão wine (Vinho do Dão) Main article: Vinho do Dão Dão wine is from the Região Demarcada do Dão, a region demarcated in 1908, but already in 1390 there were taken some measures to protect this wine.