Donzelinho branco is a white

Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gallaecia-Lusitania times, the native peoples only drank beer and were unfami ...

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...

that is classified as one of the "Very Good" varieties authorized to be used in

Port wine Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto, , or simply port) is a Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro Valley of northern Portugal. It is typically a sweet red wine, often served with dessert, although it also comes in dry, semi- ...

production. While rarely seen as a

varietal A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...

wine, Donzelinho branco is a permitted variety in the white blends of several northern

Portuguese wine regions Portuguese wine regions are grouped into three levels of classification. At the top are the '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (or DOCs) which are Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions (QWpsr) under the European Union wine regulations ...

including the '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC) of

Douro The Douro (, , ; es, Duero ; la, Durius) is the highest-flow river of the Iberian Peninsula. It rises near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province, central Spain, meanders south briefly then flows generally west through the north-west part of ...

and Trás-os-Montes and the ''Vinho Regional'' (VR) wines of Duriense and Transmontano.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 304-305 Allen Lane 2012

History and relationship to other grapes

Donzelinho branco has a long history of use in Portuguese wine production, being first mentioned in the 16th century under the synonym ''Donzelyhno'' by Portuguese wine writer Rui Fernandes who noted that the grape was one of the varieties being grown around what is now the

Lamego Municipality Lamego (; cel-x-proto, Lamecum) is a city and municipality in the Viseu District, in the Norte Region of the Douro in northern Portugal. Located on the shores of the Balsemão River, the municipality has a population of 26,691, in an area of 165 ...

in 1531–1532. In 2010,

DNA analysis Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

showed that, unlike

Pinot blanc Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produces white ...

and

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

, neither Donzelinho branco nor Donzelinho tinto were

color mutations The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the ''Vitis vinifera'' family, produce one crop of fruit each growing season with a limited life span for indi ...

of one or the other. DNA profiling also demonstrated that despite sharing several synonyms that Donzelinho branco has no close genetic relationship to the Portuguese wine grapes

Rabigato Rabigato is a white Portuguese wine grape variety that is popularly grown in the Douro Region In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as zones, lands or territories, are areas that are broadly divided by physical characteristics ( physica ...

Terrantez Terrantez (also known as ''Cascal''Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Terrantez'' Accessed: August 16th, 2012) is a white Portuguese wine grape variety that was once widely used on the island of Madeira to make the sweet fortified wi ...

and Folgasão.

Viticulture

Despite having very small and compact clusters, the thick skin of the Donzelinho branco berries gives the grape good resistance to most mildew and fungal problems but the vine is still susceptible to the

viticultural hazards This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.). Bacterial diseases Fungal diseases Miscellaneous diseases and disorders Nematodes, parasitic Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases See also *''Ampeloglypter ater'' *''Ampe ...

of frost due to it

budding Budding or blastogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction in which a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud due to cell division at one particular site. For example, the small bulb-like projection coming out from the yeast cell is know ...

early in the

growing season A season is a division of the year marked by changes in weather, ecology, and the amount of daylight. The growing season is that portion of the year in which local conditions (i.e. rainfall, temperature, daylight) permit normal plant growth. Whil ...

. Donzelinho branco is a mid-ripening variety that has a natural tendency towards low yields due to the vine's poor fertility. This means that growers will often "long

prune A prune is a dried plum, most commonly from the European plum (''Prunus domestica''). Not all plum species or varieties can be dried into prunes. A prune is the firm-fleshed fruit (plum) of ''Prunus domestica'' varieties that have a high solu ...

", leaving additional buds on the

fruiting cane In viticulture, the canopy of a grapevine includes the parts of the vine visible aboveground - the trunk, cordon, stems, leaves, flowers, and fruit. The canopy plays a key role in light energy capture via photosynthesis, water use as regulated b ...

to compensate for the low crop load.

Wine regions

The vast majority of Donzelinho branco plantings can be found in the northern wine regions of Portugal, particularly in the Douro where the grape is authorized for use as a blending variety in Port wine and in the Trás-os-Montes region which includes both the DOC of the same name and the large encompassing ''Vinho Regional'' zone of Transmontano. Additionally the Duriense VR, which encompasses the Douro, also list Donzelinho branco as an authorized variety. As with many Portuguese grape varieties, plantings of Donzelinho branco were often interspersed with numerous other grape varieties in the vineyard and used in general

field blends Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...

. This makes getting an accurate count of plantings difficult and also means that the grape is less likely to be seen as a varietal wine. In the 2010 census of Portuguese grapes, there were of Donzelinho branco planted, a decline from 15 years earlier.

Styles

According to

Master of Wine Master of Wine (MW) is a qualification (not an academic degree) issued by The Institute of Masters of Wine in the United Kingdom. The MW qualification is generally regarded in the wine industry as one of the highest standards of professional knowle ...

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

, Donzelinho branco tends to make highly perfumed, light-bodied wines with a characteristic lavender note. The grape is rarely seen as a varietal wine and more often a component of field blends with several other grape varieties.

Synonyms

Over the years, Donzelinho branco has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Donzellinho branco, Donzelyhno, Terrantes and Terrantez.

Vitis International Variety Catalogue The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung Gei ...

(VIVC)
Donzelinho branco
'' Accessed: December 6th, 2013

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties