Why Portugal
For many years, Portugal has been known only for its rich tradition of Port wine but in recent times, Portugal has seen dramatic improvements in the quality of table wines gaining world acclaim.
Over recent years, Portugal has won numerous travel awards as a “Top Tourist Destination” shining the spotlight on this small country located in South Western Europe. This has also brought renewed attention to their wines. Portuguese wines, often called “trendy” and “under-the-radar,” are billed as new, alternative options for more classic wines.
What many people do not know is that Portugal has a long history and tradition of wine making going back to at least 2000 BC. With its rich sea-faring history, the Portuguese were exporting wines as far back as the 14th century.
Portugal has well over 250 indigenous grapes, only a few of which have travelled anywhere else in the world. For most people, even for many wine experts, Portuguese wine is still unchartered territory. While much of the wine world concentrates on Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay, Portugal has stayed true to its heritage and offers a new fresh taste of different grapes, many of which are unique to Portugal.
“The truth is that Portugal is a unique gem in the wine world, being a country where old meets new and tradition meets innovation. Portuguese wine is a modern-day classic, led by a true rebirth built on a solid platform of history, tradition, and experience” (Sommconfidential_Jan 2020)
THE ART OF BLENDING
The Art of Blending – a special skill in Portuguese winemaking.
Because Portugal’s wine culture developed in relative isolation, many grape varieties do not grow anywhere else in the world.
If you don’t recognize the grape variety on a Portuguese wine label, it’s a good thing… (Wine Folly)
Like most European wines, Portuguese bottles are often labelled by region, rather than grape variety. The winemaking tradition of Portugal is in fact based mostly on a combination of varieties rather than the production of monovarietal wines. With few exceptions, the strength of Portuguese wines lies in the art of making a final blend.
In some regions, winemakers can blend up to twenty different varieties to reach the needed balance. Some varieties add delicate fruity flavors, while others imbue the wine with ripe notes, accentuate freshness, and add more body and roundness to the aftertaste. Thus, the unique Portuguese style is formed, where the whole is bigger and better than the sum of its individual components.
Portugal is also well known for its field blends. For centuries, grape varieties grew side-by-side in a vineyard. Old World winemakers planted some for ripeness, some for acidity and others for color. It was done to ensure an entire year’s harvest wouldn’t be lost if environmental conditions affected one or more of the grape varieties.
At harvest, the interplanted grapes are picked and co-fermented together. The flavor profile of field blends vary depending on the grapes they contain, but they’re prized for a level of balance, harmony and complexity.
For the many winemakers who love to make them, field blends are a distinct and expressive way to showcase a vineyard’s terroir and honor tradition.
The best way to explore Portuguese wines is therefore by region, rather than by individual grapes.
This however does not detract from the fact that many winemakers are bottling single varietals to showcase the unique characters of these grapes.