Top 10 Portuguese Wines and Where to Taste Them

Portugal has more native grape varieties than almost any country in Europe, which is why the labels are unfamiliar. Ten styles, and where each one belongs.

## The ten 1. Port, from the Douro Valley, aged in Vila Nova de Gaia. Start with a tawny and a ruby side by side. 2. White port, drunk cold with tonic before a meal, an underrated Portuguese habit. 3. Douro red table wine, made from the same grapes as port but fermented dry. 4. Vinho verde, from the Minho in the north. Young, low in alcohol, slightly fizzy, served cold. 5. Alvarinho, the more serious white from the northern edge of the Minho. 6. Dao reds, from the granite hills around Viseu, lighter and more structured. 7. Bairrada, from the Baga grape, and the natural partner to roast suckling pig. 8. Alentejo reds, fuller and softer, the wines most visitors take home. 9. Moscatel de Setubal, a sweet fortified wine from the peninsula south of Lisbon. 10. Madeira, from the island, one of the longest lived wines in the world.

## Where to taste Gaia for port houses, large and small. The Douro Valley for quintas, where you see the terraces and the cellar together. Setubal and Azeitao for moscatel, an easy half day from Lisbon. Alentejo estates around Evora and Reguengos.

## Practical notes Quintas expect a reservation, particularly in the harvest months of September and October. Most tastings pour two or three wines, and many estates ship internationally.

If you are tasting, do not drive. That is the main practical reason people book a private driver for wine days, and it is a good one. We keep one winery per day so the visit is proper rather than rushed.