Portugal
Maritime to Mediterranean
An Atlantic-facing country with over 250 native grapes, best known for Port, Madeira, Douro reds and Vinho Verde.
Overview
About Portugal
Portugal is small but has an unusually large number of indigenous grape varieties, more than 250, many of which do not grow anywhere else. The Douro was demarcated as a wine region by law in 1756, among the earliest such regulated regions in the world, and Portugal is also the home of two great fortified wines, Port and Madeira.
Besides those, the country makes light, crisp Vinho Verde in the green and rainy north-west, structured reds in Dão and the Douro, and warm, generous wines in the Alentejo.
Where is a grape grown?
Hover a marker to see what's grown there, and click it to open that place. On a touch screen, tap once to preview and again to open. Bigger markers have more grapes linked to them.
Portugal
The land
Climate & terroir
Climate
Maritime to Mediterranean
Atlantic and maritime along the coast and in the north; hotter, drier and more continental in the interior and south.
Terroir & soils
What the vines grow in
Granite in the north (Vinho Verde, Dão), schist in the Douro, and a mix of schist, granite and clay-limestone in the Alentejo, plus volcanic soils in Madeira and the Azores.
Go deeper
How the wines are classified
Portuguese wine follows the European three-step scheme, with some appellations dating back centuries.
DOC
Denominação de Origem Controlada, the top tier, with named regions such as Douro, Dão, Vinho Verde and Alentejo.
Vinho Regional
A broader regional designation (IGP) such as Alentejano or Lisboa, with more freedom.
Vinho de Portugal
A country-wide wine, with grape variety and vintage allowed on the label.
Within Portugal
Regions
Alentejo
A hot, dry plain of cork oaks in southern Portugal, making ripe reds from Aragonez, Trincadeira and Alicante Bouschet, with an ancient tradition of clay-amphora wine.
Dão
A granite plateau in Portugal's mountainous interior, sheltered on every side and known for perfumed, elegant reds and the Encruzado white.
Douro
A steep, schist-terraced river valley where Port was born and where dry reds now rival it.
What's grown here
Grapes
Grapes linked to Portugal or to a place within it. Each grape's page links back here.