Portugal, eternal kingdom of wine

Land of contrasts, Portugal has a lot to offer. The wine culture is one of the major assets of this beautiful country. Introduced by the Greeks and Romans in ancient times, the wine production has gradually developed over the centuries, offering today a wide variety of different grapes spread over several regions. Thanks to the guide Joao, I could follow the wine trail that I invite you to discover:

In the north-west of Portugal, from the Minho plains to the hills of Faro through Galicia and the majestic city of Guimarães listed as a UNESCO world heritage: the Vinho Verde region offers fresh, light and sensual wines blending perfectly with fish and seafood. Their green color is unique, as is their status, protected by appellation “Denominação of Origem Controlada”.

In the center of Prtugal, nestled in a narrow valley surrounded by steep hills, the Dão wine region is one of the oldest with vineyards dating back from the 12th century. It is famous for its powerful red wines.

Also listed as a UNESCO Heritage, the Douro Valley is the main wine region of Portugal and the oldest “delimited” in the world, stretching from the Spanish border up to the city of Porto. It enjoys a prestigious status since 1756 through its 40 000 hectares of vineyards producing delicious woody red wines for over 2 millennia. The Douro region is also known for its Port (named after the city) wines, appreciated around the world.

In the south of Portugal, the Alentejo region shines. With its dry, sunny climate, its clay soil and plains out of sight, it produces delicious white wines with a fruity taste, considered among the best in the country.

With its Mediterranean climate, the Lisbon region, meanwhile, is the pride of muscat sweet red or gold wine color. Produced in the Setúbal peninsula since 1797, these aromatic wines can be mild or very full-bodied depending of the vineyards from which they are from (Palmela, Sesimbra and Setúbal).

A little tip if you go to the wine route in Portugal: do not forget to complement your tastings with local products such as pastries, cheeses, cold cuts, meat, fish and other specialties.