Reading labels of Portugal wines
Tuesday, February 26th, 2008Classification System
Vinho regional (country wine), started in 1992, is the lowest quality level for a Portuguese wine (above vinho de mesa, the basic table wine).
Next up, the IPR (indicação de proveniência regulamentada) wines are those waiting in the queue to be given DOC (denominação de origem controlada) status, the highest of all.
There are now 19 DOC regions - including Madeira, Bairrada, Dão and Douro. Port has its own separate DOC. The term Garrafeira is sometimes still used to indicate a producer’s best wine. It can be used on the label of any quality wine with half a degree more alcohol than the minimum. In addition, reds require at least two years in tank or barrel and another one in bottle; the rare whites need six months each in barrel (or tank) and bottle. Reservas just need the extra half a degree alcohol but the term is increasingly used for premium bottlings.
Often Used Terms On Portugal Wine Labels
Adega - Originally a wine cellar or cave often used now to simply indicate a wine producer
Branco - A white wine.
Bruto - Dry sparkling wine.
Casta - Grape variety.
Casta predominante - Predominant grape variety.
Colheita - The year of vintage.
Engarrafado por - Bottled by.
Engarrafado na Origem or na Quinta - Estate bottled wine.
Engarrafado na Regiao - Bottled in the region of origin but not from any particular property or vineyard.
Carrafa - A wine bottle - meia-garrafa: a half-bottle.
Carrafao - A 5-liter jug of basic quality table wine.
Garrafeira Literally a wine cellar. But this is also a legal term indicating, for a red wine, lengthy aging in bulk (two years) and bottle (one year). White wines must be aged six months in bulk and six months in bottle before release. A garrafeira is a producer’s top wine. Its quality depends on the producer’s standards.
Quinta - A vineyard with a dwelling and vinification facilities. Roughly equivalent to the French term “chateau.”
Produzido por - Produced by.
Reserva - A reserve wine which has met certain legal requirements. The terms especial and partrcular added to this term have no legal definition; they are just embellishments.
Seco - Dry most often seen on white wine labels.
Meio-Seco - Half-dry - usually indicates an off-dry or slightly sweet Vinho Verde or sparkling wine.
Tinto - Red Wine.
Vinho - Wine.
Vinha - Vinevard.
Vinho Espumante - sparkling wine made by one of several natural methods, usually the classic methode champenoise.
Vinho Espumoso - Artificially carbonated sparkling wine.
Please come back in a month for an article on Portugal wine regions and varieties. You will see a notice in your feed reader if you subscribe to the RSS feed.
The Rose’s were pioneer grape growers in the Marlborough district of New Zealand and have an established 160 hectare vineyard on the banks of the Wairau River. The first vines were planted in 1978. The vineyards have stony free draining soils with abundant pure underground water which, coupled with Marlborough’s legendary climatic qualities of long dry summers and cool autumns provide a recipe for the production of grapes of superior quality with intense flavours.
Riesling
It is now the most widely planted grape in Germany (23% of total vineyard area). It is a crossing of two varieties, probably Riesling and Silvaner, developed in 1882 iin Geisenheim, Germany, by Prof. H. Müller from Thurgau, Switzerland. The grapes ripen early, usually in September.
Silvaner
It is a popular new cross, developed from 
Scheurebe
(
