Bairrada is a Portuguese wine region located in the Beira Litoral Province. The region has Portugal's highest wine classification as a '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC), and its popularity has surged over the last years. It is small and quite narrow coastal region, part of the broader region of

Beira Atlântico Beira can refer to: *Beira (mythology), the mother to all the gods and goddesses in the Celtic mythology of Scotland *Beira, Azores, a small village on São Jorge Island *Beira (Portugal), the name of a region (and former province) in north-centra ...

, and it is bordered to the northeast by the

Lafões IPR Lafões is a Portuguese wine region, near Viseu, overlapping into the Dão and Vinho Verde DOCs. The region has the second tier '' Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada'' (IPR) classification and may some day be promoted to '' Denominação de ...

and to the east by the

Dão DOC Dão is a Portuguese wine region situated in the Região Demarcada do Dão with the Dão-Lafões sub region of the Centro, Portugal. It is one of the oldest established wine regions in Portugal. Dão wine is produced in a mountainous region with a ...

. It is located close to the Atlantic Ocean and the currents have a moderating effect on the climate, resulting in a mild, maritime climate with abundant rainfall. The region is hilly, but the majority of the vineyards are placed on flatter land. About 2/3 of the national sparkling wine production takes place in this region, and in recent years the city of Anadia received the nickname of "Capital do Espumante", which translates to "Sparkling Wine Capital". The region is also known for its deep colored

tannic Tannins (or tannoids) are a class of astringent, polyphenolic biomolecules that bind to and precipitate proteins and various other organic compounds including amino acids and alkaloids. The term ''tannin'' (from Anglo-Norman ''tanne ...

red wines, that often have

bell pepper The bell pepper (also known as paprika, sweet pepper, pepper, or capsicum ) is the fruit of plants in the Grossum Group of the species ''Capsicum annuum''. Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange ...

and black currant flavors, as well its emerging

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. ...

production.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 330 Dorling Kindersley 2005 The boundaries of the Bairrada DOC includes the municipalities of Anadia, Cantanhede,

Mealhada Mealhada () is a city and a municipality located in Aveiro District in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 20,428, in an area of 110.66 km2. It had 17,043 eligible voters (2006). The city of Mealhada itself has a population of 4,522.

and

Oliveira do Bairro Oliveira do Bairro () is a town and a municipality in the district of Aveiro in Portugal. The population in 2011 was 47,729, in an area of 335.27 km2. It had 16,994 eligible voters in 2006. The town itself had a population of 3,077 in 2001. T ...

, and some parishes in the municipalities of Vagos and Coimbra and also the parish of Nariz, in the municipality of Aveiro.

History

Viticulture in the Bairrada has existed since at least the 10th century, when the region gained independence from the Moors. Located just south of the major Port wine producing center of Porto, the fortunes of Bairrada were on the upswing during the 17th century when Port producers, eager to supply the growing British market, would blend Bairrada wines with the product coming from the Douro.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 29 Oxford University Press 2006

Grapes

The spotlight of the Bairrada region falls on Baga. The unique soil and climate combination from Bairrada helps taking the most of out this highly acidic and highly tannic grape, which is used in both red and sparkling wines. Other Portuguese red grapes varieties also have a prominent place there: Alfrocheiro-Preto,

Tinta Pinheira Rufete is a red Spanish/ Portuguese wine grape variety that is grown primarily used in port wine production in the Douro region of Portugal. It is also grown up along the Duero basin across the border in the Spanish province of Castile and León ...

and Touriga Nacional. International red grapes varieties include

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

and

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...

. Regarding white grapes, the main highlights are the Portuguese varieties of Arinto, Bical, Cercial and Maria Gomes, but also the well internationally known

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...

References

{{coord, 40.4818609, -8.4519891, display=title, type:landmark_region:PT-01 Wine regions of Portugal Portuguese products with protected designation of origin

History

Grapes

See also

References