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THE PORTUGUESES WINES Text provided by the Portuguese Tourist Office (with minimal corrections) Portuguese wines are of good overall quality and are inexpensive. It is rarely that you will be unpleasantly surprised if you order the house wine (vinho da casa) in a restaurant. In the country areas this may be produced by the restaurant itself and they will be proud that it has not gone through the co-operative and contains no chemicals (used for preserving wine). It presumably has not paid tax either! When faced by a bewildering choice on the supermarket shelf, pick from the Dão region and know that all the wines, both red and white, will be of good quality, Other regions producing red wines worth tasting are Bairrada and Borba. The most famous of the whites is the Vinho Verde from the Northern region. These are light, crisp, fresh tasting and slightly sparkling, which are excellent with shellfish or even drunk throughout the meal. When ordering red wine it is better to chose one produced in the hotter, drier areas to the south of the country. Be prepared for the Portuguese habit of drinking red wine chilled or ask for it 'natural' which is room temperature. The most famous wine of Portugal is undoubtedly the 'Vinho do Porto' or Port Wine, which is fortified with brandy. The red Ports are usually drunk at the end of a meal but do try the white Port as an aperitif before the meal. White Port is best serve chilled. A visit to the port wine lodges in Vila Nova de Gaia, near Porto is a must for anyone visiting the north. The 'caves' of all the famous producers are here and a guide will show you how the Port is produced most have an area to sit and sample the product. Many people think that a visit to the smaller, less commercialized, lodges is more rewarding than the well known names on the river front. Going stronger, there are the Portuguese brandies of which the most common is Maceira although many foreigners seem to prefer Brandy Croft. The more adventurous might like to try the aguardente of which Bagaço will certainly give its effect all the way down. Beers are good and strong with Super Bock and Sagres being the two main brands. They are very inexpensive with a bottle costing about 120 escudos (about 40p) in a cafe - higher in the main tourist areas! All drink in Portugal is cheap. Even scotch whisky can be bought in the shops at less than the price charged by airport duty free shops.


Some portuguese wines: Douro Wines The fruity are wines of excellent quality, with strong colours and very y relishes. The white wines are also served with fish and liver pate. The red ones are served with game, fow1 and strong cheeses. Vinho Verde It is a light bubbling wine, hardly sweetened and with a low alcoholic content (appr. 10 %); you will find it sometimes refreshing and other times warm; the white Vinho Verde is the perfect companion for seafood, fish and liver pate.
Alentejo Wines The most famous vineyards of the Alentejo region are those of Borba, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito. The white wine production is more Important than that of red wine. Nevertheless, both types are ideal companions for the delicious regional specialities. Dão Wines They have an alcoholic content ca. 11-13 percent, and have a fine and velvety flavour. The red ones have a beautiful ruby colour, and can be harmoniously combined with game, spicy meat and cheese. The white ones are light, with a citrus tone, and are usually served with game, grilled meat and the strong cheeses of the region. The white wines are refined and aromatic. Setúbal Wines The "moscatel" grape is grown in this region. The wine produced from such grape is smooth and perfumed, like honey, when it is five years old, or richer and even more subtle after reaching twenty five years of aging. It is to be served as a dessert wine. Madeira Wines Sweet and mellow ("Malvasia"), dry and austere ("Sercial"), sombre and semi-dry ("Verdelho") or semi-dry, rich and full ("Boal"): all the varieties of this wine have a refined fruity bouquet that you will relish as a dessert or as an appetiser. Colares Wines The red wines are a perfect complement to game and red meat, whereas the white should be served chilled with fish, pasta and powerful cheeses. Bucelas Wines Very acid when young, and dry after aging; they should be served with not very spiced fish. Algarve Wines These wines are light, velvety, fruity and not very full-bodied; its alcoholic content is higher than 13 percent. The red wines are served with grilled meat and codfish. The white ones are the perfect appetiser. Alcobaça Wines Alenquer Wines Arruda Wines Bairrada Wines Beira Interior Wines Biscoitos Wines Encostas de Aire Graciosa Lafões Lagoa Lagos Lourinhã Óbidos Palmela Planalto Mirandês Pico Portimão Tavira Távora- -Varosa Torres Vedras Valpaços