Vinho da Bairrada
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Bairrada 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 located in the
Beira Litoral Province Beira Litoral is a former province (''província'') of Portugal, formally instituted in an administrative reform of 1936. It was abolished with the 1976 Constitution of Portugal. The province was bordered on the north by Douro Litoral Province, on ...
. The region has
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 ...
's highest
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 ...
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, and it is bordered to the northeast by the Lafões IPR and to the east by the Dão DOC. It is located close to the
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 ...
and the currents have a moderating effect on the climate, resulting in a mild,
maritime climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...
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 Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While the phrase commonly refers to champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that term for products exclusively produced in the Champagne regi ...
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 red wines, that often have bell pepper and
black currant The blackcurrant (''Ribes nigrum''), also known as black currant or cassis, is a deciduous shrub in the family Grossulariaceae grown for its edible berry, berries. It is native species, native to temperate climate, temperate parts of central ...
flavors, as well its emerging rosé 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 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. ...
, and some parishes in the municipalities of
Vagos Vagos () is a town and a municipality in Aveiro District, belonging to Centro Region of Portugal. The district capital, Aveiro, is its nearest large city. Its population in 2011 was 22,851 in an area of 164.92 km2, and it had 17,204 eligible ...
and
Coimbra Coimbra (, also , , or ) is a city and a municipality in Portugal. The population of the municipality at the 2011 census was 143,397, in an area of . The fourth-largest urban area in Portugal after Lisbon, Porto, and Braga, it is the largest cit ...
and also the parish of Nariz, in the municipality of Aveiro.


History

Viticulture 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, ...
in the Bairrada has existed since at least the 10th century, when the region gained independence from the
Moors The term Moor, derived from the ancient Mauri, is an exonym first used by Christian Europeans to designate the Muslim inhabitants of the Maghreb, the Iberian Peninsula, Sicily and Malta during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a distinct or ...
. Located just south of the major
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 ...
producing center of
Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...
, the fortunes of Bairrada were on the upswing during the 17th century when Port producers, eager to supply the growing
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories, and Crown Dependencies. ** Britishness, the British identity and common culture * British English, ...
market, would blend Bairrada wines with the product coming from the
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 o ...
.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 and
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 ...
. International red grapes varieties include Merlot and Syrah. Regarding white grapes, the main highlights are the Portuguese varieties of
Arinto Arinto or Arinto de Bucelas is a white Portuguese wine grape planted primarily in the Bucelas, Tejo and Vinho Verde regions. It can produce high acid wines with lemon notes. Synonyms Arinto is also known by the synonyms Arintho, Arintho du Dao, ...
, Bical, Cercial and Maria Gomes, but also the well internationally known Chardonnay.


See also

*
List of 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 ...


References

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