Apart from Port, Portugal offers a great variety of red, white and rose wines of high quality and many of them are awarded in different international events. The secret behind the excellent taste of Portuguese wines is the fact that Portugal offers a wide range of grape varieties that do not grow anywhere else in the world. So, if you don’t recognise the grape variety on the wine label it’s more likely that you are holding a wine with excellent quality. These are some of the Portugeese wines worth appearing at your dinner table.
Vinho Verde
Vinho Verde literally translated as a “green wine” is aromatic and low alcohol wine coming from the North of Portugal. Despite the translation, Vinho Verde is actually white wine and its blend of several white grapes. Even though It’s usually white wine, you can also find red and rose Vihno Verde. They all share specific characteristics- t light, crisp and slightly sweet with a little spritz. So, if you want to enjoy in slightly spritzy aromatic taste than look for wines such as Alvarinho, Arinto, Avesso and Azal.
Alicante Bouschet
If you are preferring rich, fruity notes in your wine than Alicante Bouschet is worth your try. This specific grape variety is one of the few grapes with red skin and red flesh. Thanks to its particular characteristics Alicante Bouschet produces intense and deeply coloured wines. It also commonly mixed with other grapes because it adds volume and structure to the wine. DOC Alentejo produces some of the best wines of this type, so look for the wines like Herdade do Mouchao or Rapariga da Quinta Tinto Reserva from Alentejo.
Duoro Red
If you ever visited magnificent Duoro Valley, you probably asked yourself how can wine be made in such rugged terrain. Besides being the most beautiful wine region, it also produces some of the best wines in the world (and not just the Port). Duoro Red wines range in style from light and fruity to dark and dense flavours. Quinta do Sagrado 2011 Reserva, Manuel Carvalho Martins, Quevedo 2014 Claudia’s Reserve are some of the best-rated wines from this region.
