Ep. 1010 Map 23 Portugal | Jumbo Shrimp Maps

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Portugal wine brewing areas are more diverse than the size of the country suggests. Generally, The west side of Portugal is influenced by the Atlantic. The North inland area has a continental climate, and the south is drier and warmer. Portugal has a wealth of native grapes. This is a boon to the many producers who are shifting their focus away from international varieties to their native ones. For our exploration of Portugal, let's start with Avino Verde, DOC, and the northwest. It's location hubs in the north and the Atlantic Ocean. And that means the climate is moderate maritime. This reminds us of the similar climate found just above here in Rio Spacious Spain. The rainfall amount is quite high. Therefore, the threat of rot and mildew are ever present. Traditional training methods used pergolas to train their vines to mitigate the presence of moisture, but modern practices focus on using vertical shoot positioning, that is VSP systems instead. The idea is still to get the canopy high above the ground to allow extra air circulation, but peens in this system are trained vertically into wires rather than horizontally impregulate systems. Leaf thinning is a common strategy to also help create even more airflow in the vines. The most widely grown grapes in Vigno vera are laguero, especially near the coast and Arinto as well. Wines labeled as Vigno verde, Alvarino, are made with Alvarino grapes. Traditionally, this grape was grown in the northern area of Vigno verde, just under the border with Spain. There we have a subregion, called Monseau, Emio Gasso, that makes alvarena wines with more body and alcohol than typical Vigna Verde. Vigna Verde is typically made using stainless steel and is bottled soon after fermentation. Traditionally, wines had a slight spritz to them. Nowadays, carbon dioxide can also be added to give the wines the same effect, but fair warning to those who expect the spritz texture with each bottle, since wines are not always made in this style. It is also worth noting that some bottlings will have a small amount of residual sugar. The well known Duro region is famous for its fortified port wine production under the Porto DOC. However, unfortified wines have always been made there. Producers are now able to bottle on fortified wines using the Duro DOC. A DOC that was only established in nineteen eighty two. The overall climate in the Duro region is warm continental. With it being slightly cooler and wetter in the areas closer toward the Atlantic that is in the West. So it makes sense that the areas on the east side of the Duro Valley are hot and quite dry. Again, we can remember that the climate in the Eastern Duro is contiguous with the climate just over the border into Spain. This warm and dry environment can be stressful for vines, but the schist soils work in tandem with the vines here. The texture of the soils allow those soils to split into vertical layers, and therefore allow the vine roots to penetrate deep below the surface to access scarce water. The black grapes grown for dry wine production are the same as for port production. Tureka Nacional is a is a favorite of producers for its deep color, high tenants, and black fruit profile. Tureka Fanca, Chintaro, also known as Temernio, Chinta Barroca, and Chinta cow, round out the most common grapes of the duro. Wines are full bodied, tanic, have deep color intensity, and are sometimes with flavors derived from oak maturation. White wines made in Duro DOC can be made in fresh styles intended to be drunk young, but are also made in more concentrated styles with oak fermentation and maturation. This more intense style would have more complexity due to the extra flavors present from the lower fruit yields and layers of flavors from oak and oxidation. Thank you for listening to Italian wine podcast. We know there are many of you listening out there, so we just want to interrupt for a small ask. Italian wine podcast is in the running for an award, the best podcast listening platform. Through the podcast awards, the people's choice. Lister nominations is from July first to the thirty first, and we would really appreciate your vote. We are hoping our listeners will come through for us. So if you have a second and could do this small thing for us, just head to Italian wine podcast dot com from July first to the thirty first and click the link. We thank you and back to the show. Further south of the Duro and Vigna Verde is Dow, an inland DOC that focuses on red wine production. This area has mountains on both sides. Mountains on the west of Dow, effectively block the cool influences from the Atlantic, and the mountains on the east side of Down, block the much drier and warmer weather from further inland. So the climate here is more Mediterranean. And as such, it experiences significant rainfall in the autumn and winter. Important black grapes here are Tregan, Nacional, Chintaro, otherwise known as Temporinio, Hayan, which goes by Mancia in Spain. And Afrocero, which has red and black fruit aromas. Wines were often made in styles showcasing, extended maceration, and oak, but producers are now looking to display wines with finesse, fresher fruit flavors, and acidity. A smaller amount of white wine is made here from the grape in cruzato, whites are often been a fine and stainless steel to highlight its fruit character, but more intense barrel aged examples are also made. Just west of Down is Bihada, DOC. This region is closer to the Atlantic, therefore, has a maritime climate. Plentyful rain falls here, but it can be a problem in the spring if vines are flowering and rain interferes with pollination. Without adequate weather conditions during pollination, there's a potential for a reduced crop for that year. Rain also tends to fall in autumn, which could also potentially disrupt the harvest. As such, Bayga is the dominant grape here. It is late ripening, so it could run into issues with autumn rains. Bayga is characterized by high acidity, high tenants, medium body, and high tone fruits, such as crownberry, but also cherry. Attiquit ripening is important for Baga to avoid being astringent. Baga has a history of large production that was and is destined for the production of Mantus rosé, But in recent decades, this grape has received much attention from quality producers to reveal its potential for high quality wines. Other black grapes in Bajara include and high end, along with cabernet sauvignon and Merlo. White wine production here is smaller, but growing with a focus on indigenous grapes. Maria Gomez is the most planted white grape in Portugal. And grow successfully and productively here in Bayata. Bicau makes wines with stone fruit and sometimes tropical fruit flavors. As we move away from the northern half of Portugal, We will get progressively warmer and drier conditions the more southeast we go. So let's look at the climate conditions of Alentasia. This DOC has a Mediterranean climate. And because this region spans a large area, We can guess correctly that it will be warmer and drier the further we move south in Alentasia. Logic follows that grapes from the northern areas of Alentasia will offer a bit more acidity and a bit fresher fruit character. And the grapes from the warmer southern areas will have right for fruit character and softer structure. There are actually eight subregions in Alentasia DOC, reflecting this large and diverse region. Let's look at the grapes used in Allentegio DOC. This is a big wine region. And as such, there are more grapes that are authorized for use. The first key black grape is Adagones. Which is called Tintaroori's in other regions of Portugal, and of course called Temporinio in Spain. The next important grape is Alecon Luche, known for its red flesh and ability to bring deep acidity and tannins to wines. Trincadera is the next most important grape and grows enthusiastically in the warmer and drier areas here. These three grapes are often blended since varietal wines are not common in this region. Sometimes turiga Nasinal joins in the wine blend lending its generous tenants and acidity. Here, there are also international varieties allowed, and Sarat is most common. In the white wine category, Lupeo is most planted, followed by Arinto and Tabas. These wines offer fruity flavors with generous acidity provided by Arinto and Rupeo. The next region falls into the IGP category, which is called Vimeo rationale in Portugal or VR for short. So just like the other VRs, the regulations, for Vigno rationale, Alentejo, are less stringent than DOC regulations. Vigno Rayshanal regulations often allow for international varieties to be grown. Whereas, this is not the case for many DOCs. This VR covers a large area in the southeast of Portugal, and it encompasses the Alentejo doc and as well goes much farther beyond it. Thanks for listening to this episode of Italian wine podcast brought to you by Italian wine Academy, offering WSET levels one, two, and three in English. Visit our website at italian wine academy dot org for more information and sign up today to start your personal adventure in global wine education right here in the heart of verona. Remember to subscribe and like Italian wine podcast and catch us on SoundCloud, spotify and wherever you get your pods. 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