Has the time come for Portuguese wines?

“ Portuguese wines sell very well among Millennials and Generation X. They are more open. They don’t care so much about the grape varieties,” Nuno Vale told me as, over a glass of refreshing Arinto, we dined in Lisbon the other day. Nuno should know that. He is marketing director of ViniPortugal, the organization responsible for promoting Portuguese wines around the world.

We discussed the challenges of selling wines made from grapes with names like Tinta Cão, Alfrocheiro, Antão Vaz and Tinta Roriz, to name just a few of the indigenous grape varieties found in Portugal. They also use some standard grapes, like Cabernet, Chardonnay, etc., but the traditional Portuguese grape varieties are very dominant.

In fact, they produce exceptional wines in Portugal. Although it is a country best known for its fortified Port wines, the majority of wines made in this southern European country are table wines. But we’ll talk about that in a minute.

I had challenged Nuno by telling him that it must not be very easy to sell Portuguese wines in North America with the type of grape names common in Portugal. A few years ago, while doing research for one of our wine books, we spoke to another American wine market expert, Pierre Wertheimer. He has been selling and promoting French wines in the United States for many years. Pierre told us: “if you don’t put the grape variety on the label in the United States, you can’t sell the wine, and it has to be a known grape variety.”

Not much luck for Portugal there.

But maybe times are changing. There is a trend in the wine world today toward traditional local grape varieties and away from the handful of “international” grape varieties used in virtually all wine-producing countries.

That’s certainly what Nuno from ViniPortugal told me over another glass of wine, a Touriga Nacional du Dao. “We did a lot of promotion for our wines. The Wine Spectator was very positive. The trade is now convinced of the quality of Portuguese wines. “That’s all well and good, but do they sell? “People are now starting to ask for wines from Portugal.”

To give you a little edge over those who may not yet be fond of Portuguese wines, here are some key concepts to remember.

Portugal is divided into several different wine regions. Here are the most important ones to remember:

• Green Wineon the northern border of Spain: refreshing white wines
• Daoin the north: powerful red wines.
• Douro Valley: inland from Portugal’s second city Porto: best known for its Port wine but also for its excellent reds and whites
• Alentejojust east of Lisbon: a wide range of reds and whites, often of very good quality

In total, there are some 14 wine regions, all worth discovering.

Here are some of the most important grape varieties that will also give you an idea of ​​what to expect:

Some red grapes:

• National Touriga: perhaps the best known grape variety internationally, producing powerful, dark and spicy wines
• Aragonese, better known outside Portugal as Tempranillo, also widely used in Spain. Medium color with red fruits and sometimes dried fruits and nuts.
• Trincadeiraa grape variety with a pretty name that makes remarkable wines with herbs and spices.

White grapes:

• Alvarinhothe workhorse of Vinho Verde’s very refreshing wines, with exotic and quite aromatic fruits.
• Arintoalso very refreshing citrus wines and sometimes quite full-bodied.
• Antao Vazwith its curious name, it can produce excellent wines that are both full-bodied and structured, mainly in Alentejo.

There’s plenty more to discover for adventurous wine lovers!

But you should keep in mind that most – most – Portuguese wines are made from a blend of several varieties, but you can often find the details on the back label.

This should give you enough money to go to your local wine merchant and ask them what they have from Portugal! And you will definitely look like a wine expert and connoisseur if you ask for these wines.

Two other things to keep in mind about Portuguese wines: They often offer excellent value for money, one of the advantages of not being as famous. And above all they should be enjoyed with food; the strong acidity of the whites and the tannins of the reds make them a perfect pairing with summer dishes like fish or barbecued meat. As I had the opportunity to verify with the eight wines that Nuno and I shared during a dinner with friends.

I don’t know if what Nuno said is true, that younger wine consumers are becoming less obsessed with grape varieties and more adventurous in discovering new wine countries and new grapes. Or if the time has come for Portugal. But I certainly hope so. Portugal is a great wine country.

What do you think? Is the American market really becoming less obsessed with a small handful of “international” grape varieties? Has the time come for Portuguese wines?

— By Karlsson