Below some useful terms found on the labels of wine
Portuguese wine terms found on bottle/carton
Adega: Winery
Branco: White
Casta: Grape variety
Colheita: Vintage year
Espumante: Sparkling
Garrafeira: A reserva red wine aged two years in a barrel / one year in a bottle;
whites/ six months in a barrel and six months in a bottle.
Maduro: mature
Quinta: Vineyard
Reserva: good quality wine of a single vintage
Seco: Dry
Tinto: Red
Verde: green or red Wines That fall under Vinho Verde
Vinho: Wine
Douro Wines: The fruity are wines of excellent quality, and come from the same regions as port with strong colours . The white wines are also served with fish and pastes. The reds are served with game, fowl and strong cheeses. Dão Wines: They have a low alcoholic content with normally from 10-13% Volume, and have a fine and velvety flavours The reds are often a good dark ruby colour, and best served with game, spicy meat and cheese. The whites are often crisp and light, with a citrus tone and very aromatic to the nose, and are usually served with game, grilled meat and the strong cheeses of the region. Alentejo Wines: The most famous vineyards of the Alentejo with its famous Borba’s & Reguengos de Monsaraz, Vidigueira, Cuba and Alvito. The white wine production is larger than that of the reds but both types are ideal companions for the delicious regional Cured meats and cheeses, ideal for light suppers Colares Wines: a good wine that is suitable and complements game and red meat, the white is best served chilled with fish, pasta and a good selection of cheeses. Bucelas Wines: Very acid when young, and can be dry once aged, ideal for BBQ’s and fish dishes Setúbal Wines: The "moscatel" a good old fashioned desert wine so really for the dinner table with guests. The wine produced from this grape is smooth and perfumed, like honey, when it is five years old, or richer and even more subtle after reaching maturity of 20 years plus of aging. Ideal with crapes filled with fresh fruits. Algarve Wines: these are the new wines of Portugal, many make great light everyday drinking with most being low in alcohol volume of around 13% some great rose’s served before a meal or with starters the whites tend to be very refreshing whilst the many reds hold there own up against the many great Portuguese wines but tend to be less heady so ideal for holiday consumption
This page is to give you the basic information on some of the most popular wines of Portugal, below are some wine term that you might see on the label of the wine, these terms are not normal covered in the small travel phrase books so might be worth you jotting down
