Vital is a white

Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans (wine), 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 ...

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

that is grown primarily in Western Portugal. Sometimes known under the

synonym A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means precisely or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are a ...

Malvasia Corado, the variety tends to produce rather neutral flavor wine with low acidity unless the grape is grown in vineyards of high altitude.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 198 Oxford University Press 1996 Another common synonym in the Lisboa VR of the former Estremadura Province is ''Malvasia Fina'' though ampelographers are not sure if Vital is related to the

Malvasia Malvasia (), also known as Malvazia, is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region and Macaronesia, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. In the past, the names Malvasia, Malvazia, ...

grown widely in

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...

and throughout Europe. One key difference that ampelographers note is that the shape of the leaves of Vital and the various Malvasia species tend to be very different. Even in the

Douro DOC Douro is a Portuguese wine region centered on the Douro River in the Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro region. It is sometimes referred to as the ''Alto Douro'' (upper Douro), as it is located some distance upstream from Porto, sheltered by mountain ...

there is a Malvasia Fina used in

Port wine Port wine (, ; ), 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 served with dessert wine, ...

production that may or may not be the same variety as Vital.Oz Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 284 Harcourt Books 2001

List of DOCs

Vital is a permitted variety in several Portuguese wine regions including the following '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC)s:T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 330-333 Dorling Kindersley 2005 * Alenquer DOC * Arruda DOC * Encostas d'Aire DOC * Óbidos DOC * Tejo DOC *

Setúbal DOC Moscatel de Setúbal is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese muscatel produced around the Setúbal Municipality on the Península de Setúbal. The region is known primarily for its fortified (wine), fortified Muscat (wine), Muscat wines known as Moscate ...

* Torres Vedras DOC

Winemaking and wine styles

In addition to growing Vital in higher altitude vineyards to maintain acidity, winemakers will often complement Vital's somewhat bland flavors with blending with other varieties or with a little bit of oak aging. According to wine expert Oz Clarke, well made examples of Vital can exhibit an interesting minerality.

Synonyms

In addition to Malvasia Corada and Malvasia Fina, Vital is known under several various synonyms including: Boal Bonifacio, Malvazia Corada, Malvasia Fina de Douro, Malvasia Fina do Douro and Malvasia ou Malvazia.

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 G ...

(VIVC)
Vital
' Accessed: July 3rd, 2012

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties