Portugal
The past twenty years have seen huge changes in the Portuguese wine industry, with the arrival of dynamic, talented and well travelled winemakers accompanied by a frenetic investment in state-of-the-art winemaking equipment. This has resulted in the emergence of a new wave of thoroughly modern, distinctive, fruit filled and good value wines.
Portugal’s greatest strength is undoubtedly its remarkable range of grape varieties, many of which are planted nowhere else in the world! Of the 500 grape varieties currently planted, the key native grapes include the better known Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca.
The different styles are also clearly attributable to Portugal’s huge variety of terroirs and radically changing climate - as one moves from the cool wet Atlantic north-west to the hot arid Mediterranean south-east. This is illustrated by the style of the richly succulent red wines from the Douro and the more elegant reds from the Alentejo.
