Dão is a

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 ...

region situated in the Região Demarcada do Dão with the

Dão-Lafões Viseu Dão-Lafões is a Portuguese subregion located in the north of the Central Region. In 2021, the subregion recorded 252,984 inhabitants and a population density of 78 inhabitants per km2. The subregion has an area of 3,238 km2, which can b ...

sub region of the

Centro, Portugal The Central Region ( pt, Região do Centro, ) or Central Portugal is one of the statistical regions of Portugal. The cities with major administrative status inside this region are Coimbra, Aveiro, Viseu, Caldas da Rainha, Leiria, Castelo Branco ...

. It is one of the oldest established wine regions in

Portugal Portugal, officially the Portuguese Republic ( pt, República Portuguesa, links=yes ), is a country whose mainland is located on the Iberian Peninsula of Southwestern Europe, and whose territory also includes the Atlantic archipelagos of ...

. Dão wine is produced in a mountainous region with a

temperate climate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout ...

, in the area of the

Rio Mondego Rio or Río is the Portuguese, Spanish, Italian, and Maltese word for "river". When spoken on its own, the word often means Rio de Janeiro, a major city in Brazil. Rio or Río may also refer to: Geography Brazil * Rio de Janeiro * Rio do Sul, a ...

and Dão rivers in the north central region of Portugal.H. Johnson & J. Robinson ''The World Atlas of Wine'' pp. 204–205 Mitchell Beazley Publishing 2005 The region became a '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC)

appellation An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

in 1990. The Dão region is the origin of the

Touriga Nacional Touriga Nacional is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal's finest. Despite the low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the D ...

vine that is the principal component of

port wine Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto, , or simply port) is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro, Douro Valley of Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal. It is typically a sweetness of wine, sweet red wine, often ...

.J. Robinson (ed) ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'' Third Edition p. 223 Oxford University Press 2006

Climate and geography

The

wine region This list of wine-producing regions catalogues significant growing regions where vineyards are planted. Wine grapes mostly grow between the 30th and the 50th degree of latitude, in both the Northern and Southern hemispheres. Grapes will sometimes ...

is located primarily on a

plateau In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; ), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. Often one or more sides ...

that is sheltered on three sides by the

granite Granite () is a coarse-grained ( phaneritic) intrusive igneous rock composed mostly of quartz, alkali feldspar, and plagioclase. It forms from magma with a high content of silica and alkali metal oxides that slowly cools and solidifies under ...

mountain ranges of

Serra da Estrela Serra da Estrela () is the highest mountain range in Continental Portugal. Together with the Serra da Lousã it is the westernmost constituent range of the Sistema Central and also one of the highest in the system. It includes mainland Portugal's ...

, Serra do Caramulo and Serra da Nave. This helps the area maintain its temperate climate away from the effects of the nearby

Atlantic Ocean The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe ...

. The region experiences abundant rainfall in the winter months and long, warm dry summers leading up to harvest. The region's vineyards are planted on

sand Sand is a granular material composed of finely divided mineral particles. Sand has various compositions but is defined by its grain size. Sand grains are smaller than gravel and coarser than silt. Sand can also refer to a textural class o ...

y well-drained

soil Soil, also commonly referred to as earth or dirt Dirt is an unclean matter, especially when in contact with a person's clothes, skin, or possessions. In such cases, they are said to become dirty. Common types of dirt include: * Debri ...

on top of granite rock.

History

The first efforts to have the Dão region recognized as a separate and unique wine region came mainly from the aristocrat and winemaker João de Sacadura Botte Côrte-Real. Considered to be "the most enlightened viticulturist of his generation", he modernized the processes of winemaking and raised the standards of the wine produced in the region. He had many wine estates, in both Portugal and Spain, but the most celebrated were his Quinta da Aguieira and his wife's Quinta da Bica. The Dão was first officially recognized as a ''Região Demarcada'' in 1908. In the 1940s, to improve the quality of the

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

from the region and promote some sort of national identity, the government of Prime Minister

António de Oliveira Salazar António de Oliveira Salazar (, , ; 28 April 1889 – 27 July 1970) was a Portuguese dictator who served as President of the Council of Ministers from 1932 to 1968. Having come to power under the ("National Dictatorship"), he reframed the r ...

instituted new regulations establishing the mandatory use of

co-operatives A cooperative (also known as co-operative, co-op, or coop) is "an autonomous association of persons united voluntarily to meet their common economic, social and cultural needs and aspirations through a jointly owned and democratically-control ...

in the region. These co-operatives would have exclusive privilege to the grapes grown in the region and were charged with making the wine that would be sold to private merchants. Despite its intent, the regulations had an adverse effect on the Dão wine region by promoting stagnation due to lack of competition, with some co-operative firms releasing inferior quality wine and even practicing un-

hygienic Hygiene is a series of practices performed to preserve health. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), "Hygiene refers to conditions and practices that help to maintain health and prevent the spread of diseases." Personal hygiene refer ...

winemaking Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...

. In 1979, Portugal's application to the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

prompted authorities to overturn these rules, as the EU discouraged monopolistic practices in the wine industry.

Viticulture and wines

The area is home to several dozen varieties of

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

grapes, with the majority of wine production being made from the Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, Jaen,

Alfrocheiro Preto Alfrocheiro Preto is a red Portuguese wine grape variety planted primarily in the Dão DOC and Alentejano VR. The grape is known for the deep coloring it can add to wine blends. J. Robinson: ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition, p. 130 ...

and Encruzado. 80% of the region's production is in red wines, with DOC regulations stipulating that at least 20% of the production must be from Touriga Nacional. Some of the top reserve wine may carry the designation ''Dão nobre'' (meaning noble Dão).K. MacNeil ''The Wine Bible'' pg 508 Workman Publishing 2001 Another reserve designation, ''Garrafeira,'' requires wines to be 0.5% higher in

alcohol content Alcohol by volume (abbreviated as ABV, abv, or alc/vol) is a standard measure of how much alcohol (ethanol) is contained in a given volume of an alcoholic beverage (expressed as a volume percent). It is defined as the number of millilitres (mL) o ...

than the 12.5% minimum and to spend at least two years in aging in oak. The maximum yield for red wine grapes is 70 hl/ ha.P. Saunders ''Wine Label Language'' p. 250 Firefly Books 2004 The red wines tend to be very tannic due to prolonged periods of maceration during winemaking. Many producers make liberal use of French and Portuguese

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

. The style has been improving, with some producers concentrating on making more fruit-forward styles with smoother tannins. Historically, the white wines were known for being over-

oxidized Redox (reduction–oxidation, , ) is a type of chemical reaction in which the oxidation states of substrate change. Oxidation is the loss of electrons or an increase in the oxidation state, while reduction is the gain of electrons or a ...

and full-

bodied ''Bodied'' is a 2017 American battle rap comedy-drama film directed by Joseph Kahn. It was written by Alex Larsen and produced by Eminem, his manager Paul Rosenberg, and Adi Shankar. The film first premiered at the 2017 Toronto International ...

, but more modern winemaking has been producing white wines that are fresh, fruity and fragrant. The Encruzado is the principal grape of the area's whites, with some blends of

Malvasia Fina Malvasia (, also known as Malvazia) is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. I ...

and Bical. ''Garrafeira'' white wines require at least 0.5% more alcohol by volume than the 11.5% DOC minimum and at least 6 months aging in oak. The maximum allowable yields for white wine grapes is 80 hl/ha.

Subregions

There are seven subregions within Dão which may be indicated on labels together with Dão:Official Journal of the European Union C 187/1, 8.8.2009: List of quality wines produced in specified regions
(reflects situation as of July 31, 2009) * Alva * Besteiros * Castendo * Serra da Estrela * Silgueiros * Terras de Azurara * Terras de Senhorim

References

External links