No other country can match Portugal’s range of indigenous wine grape varieties, a rich palette for winemakers that goes back to the Bronze Age. Tartessians, Romans, and Phoenicians introduced winegrapes here, and viticulture eventually spread across Portugal’s diverse geography. Isolated from the rest of Europe, many unique wine varieties developed there as vines accustomed themselves to extremes in soil, weather and altitude. 

Now, in a small country with over 250 unique, indigenous wine grape varieties to choose from, it is not surprising that Portuguese winemakers usually draw from a variety of grape sources to create balanced, flavorful blends. The result is that Portugal is blessed with a treasure chest of unique and distinctive wines.

Portuguese blends, with their distinctive combinations and unique character, reward people seeking diversity. These wines, at their best, often from small but distinct regions, combine ancient winemaking wisdom with the latest scientific and technical knowledge to put the wonder and pleasure back in wine.

These are exciting times for Portuguese wines, as producers embrace sustainable wine growing and modern winemaking techniques. A delicate balance between tradition and modernity has ushered in a new era of creativity in Portugal, the result of a quarter century of investment, education and enlightenment.

Vinho Verde has exploded in popularity, largely thanks to its public image as a fresh, go-to sipper, custom-built for the poolside, picnic, or park bench. But this crisp, easy-drinking reputation accounts for just one aspect of Vinho Verde’s identity. As a new generation of sommeliers, retailers, and industry professionals has started to discover, the wines of Vinho Verde are capable of so much more. Gota Azahar Vinho Verde 2023 $15 Green figs coated with sea spray, tart granny smith apple and hints of lemon verbena. Azahar is a serious departure from traditional, stylized VV, packing complex texture and bracing acidity on the palate.

Gota "Prunus" Tinto 2021 $15 is a blend of 80% Jaen (Mencia), 10% Tinto Roriz (Tempranillo), 5% Alfrocheiro Preto, 5% Touriga Nacional from the Dão region. Lightly oaked and perfectly balanced, with a silky texture and crisp edge. The nose is cram-packed with plums, mulberries, blackberries and anise. On the palate, black cherry and raspberry fruit tones with creamy and chocolaty oak flavors. 

The Gota Mira 2021 $19 comes from 30 years old vines from 500 meters above the Dão river and produce high quality grapes of the varieties Jaen, Alfrocheiro, Tinta Pinheira, Tinta Roriz and Touriga Nacional.

Filipa Pato "DNMC" Baga Bairrada 2022 $20 The D.N.M.C. Tinto is all unoaked Baga. It comes in at 12.2% alcohol. The winery explains the name of the wine “’dinamica’—D.N.M.C.". This is a blend of vineyards throughout the region. This is an expression of Baga and Bairrada. This is not a typical expression of Baga, but more light Beaujolais.

Mateus Nicolau de Almeida and his wife, Teresa Ameztoy, began their organic/biodynamic/natural wine project in 2015. Organically farmed and certified, their wines reflect the attributes of a combination of vineyards in the different subregions of Douro and a multitude of indigenous grape varieties. The Trans-Douro Express are three “climate” reds from roughly ten different vineyards that demonstrate what each subregion has to offer: Baixo Corgo in the west is the coldest and wettest, on the far east, on the border of Spain, is Douro Superior, the driest and warmest, while in the center is Cima Corgo, a climatic balance of the two extremes. We are going to have one each from Baixo and Douro Superior. Mateus Nicolau de Almeda 2021 Trans Douro Express Baixo Corgo Tinto $22 Crafted from a blend of Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Barroca, and Roriz grapes, this red wine undergoes an eight-month fermentation and aging process in concrete tanks. The resulting wine boasts a classic ruby color with enticing aromas of black pepper, blackberries, elderberry, and blueberry.

Bonus Wines

The countryside north of Lisbon is dotted with small wine regions that all bathe in Atlantic wind and rain. Grapes here generally struggle to ripen and much of the wine is distilled for brandy. However, the area also features hills like the chalky clay Serra de Montejunto, behind which the vineyards of Obidós shelter. Tomas and Alberto Emidio’s organically farmed Quinta Verzea is dedicated to Arinto. Quinta Varzea da Pedra (Bombarral) 2021 Arinto $22 offers aromas of pear butter and peach with wildflowers and thyme and sage growing out of granite.

Mateus Nicolau de Almeda 2021 Trans Douro Express Douro Superior Tinto $23

Quinta do Olival da Murta/Serra 2018 Serra Oca Tinto Red Blend $28 A powerful, fruity red wine made from a blend of Touriga Nacional, Castelão, and Aragonez, which spend 16 months in French oak before the wine matures an additional 6 months in bottle. On the nose you find concentrated aromas of wild berries and spices. On the palate, deep blackberry and dark cherry flavours shine through, with a full body and mouth-filling tannins that are well balanced by the medium acidity. Quinta do Olival da Murta, located in the Lisbon region near the Montejunto mountain, has been in the Vivas family for five consecutive generations.