Colares is a
Portuguese wine region centred on the
Colares parish in the
municipality of
Sintra. The region has
Portugal's highest
wine classification of ''
Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC). Located along the southwestern Atlantic coast, vineyards in the area are protected from the strong ocean winds by
sandy
dune
A dune is a landform composed of wind- or water-driven sand. It typically takes the form of a mound, ridge, or hill. An area with dunes is called a dune system or a dune complex. A large dune complex is called a dune field, while broad, f ...
s. In the 1940s, vineyards covered about 2,500 acres but have since been reduced by suburbanization to 50 acres.
Between 1934 and 1994, only the local co-op could use the Colares appellation.
[ Because grapevines there are grown directly in the sand, and ]phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bugs ...
aphids cannot live on sand, Colares vineyards are some of the only European vines that are not grafted upon American rootstocks.[ The ]ungrafted
Grafting or graftage is a horticultural technique whereby tissues of plants are joined so as to continue their growth together. The upper part of the combined plant is called the scion () while the lower part is called the rootstock. The su ...
Ramisco vines of the Colares region are some of the oldest in Portugal. The region is known for its deep colored, full bodied red wines that are high in astringent tannins.[T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 331 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ]
Grapes
The principal grapes of the Colares region includes Arinto, Galego Dourado, Jampal, Malvasia and Ramisco.[ White wines, grown from a local variant of Malvasia, are not aged as long.][
]
See also
* List of Portuguese wine regions
References
{{coord missing, Portugal
Wine regions of Portugal
Portuguese products with protected designation of origin