WINES FROM PORTUGAL, A LITTLE bit of MAGIC IN YOUR GLASS

Portuguese wine brings you right away. to Mediterranean spheres

Classification of Portuguese wines. The Portuguese wines are divided into 3 classifications:

At the top, the DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada) wines are roughly in line with the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and the Spanish Denominación de Origen (DO) classifications. Portugal currently knows 31 DOC regions.

Then the VR (Vinho Regional) follows the equivalent of French vin de pays. The wine must meet certain criteria such as minimum alcohol percentage, maximum yield per hectare etc. This differs by region. Here too, there are producers who want more freedom and want to choose the mix of different grape varieties themselves or want to use other varieties that are not allowed under the DOC. Portugal has 14 VR regions.

A final classification is simply called Vinho. Wines in this group have little demands on quality. There is no maximum yield per hectare and the choice of grape varieties is free.

Older names you still can encounter are:

IPR: Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada. IPRs are DOC candidates "in training". These are roughly in line with the French vin délimité de qualité supérieure (VDQS).

VQPRD: Vinho De Qualidade Produzido Em Região Demarcada. A regroup of DOC & IPR wines.

Vinho de Mesa: now falls under the Vinho classification.