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The Portuguese Wine Revolution

Italy, France… and Portugal! Despite its size, Portugal is taking its rightful place next to many of the wine world’s heavy hitters, ranking as the sixth highest wine-producing country in the world. It lays claim to the first official wine region – Douro, whose boundaries were demarcated in the 1750s – and has more than 200 indigenous grape varieties. Portugal also ranks as one of the top 10 wine exporters to the U.S., with more than $56 million in exports in 2008!

Old World Tradition with New World Style
Portugal is both one the oldest and newest producers of wine across the globe. How? The country has produced wine since ancient times, but has also undergone a transformation in the last decade that has seen billions invested to make Portugal’s wine industry one of the most modern in the world.

Active in the Ancient World
The Greeks and Carthaginians first brought grape and wine production to the land that would eventually become known as Portugal. When it was part of the Roman Empire, Lusitania – as the Romans called Portugal – produced wine that was very popular back in the capital city of Rome.

Portugal Sets a Precedent with First DOC
Grape cultivation continued for centuries, and the grapes themselves evolved. By 1758, the Douro Valley became the first designated wine-producing region in the world. The area’s fortified Port wines became legendary.

2006 marked a celebration – the 250th anniversary of the demarcated Douro Valley. It was a significant event, as Port represented nearly 20 percent of all Portuguese wine exports for the past couple of centuries.

Worthy of World Heritage Recognition
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Culture Organization (UNESCO) designated the Douro Valley and the Pico Island Wine Region – in Portugal’s Azores Islands – as World Heritage sites, worthy of eternal conservation.

Madeira: A Beautiful Island and a Historic Wine
Madeira produces some of the best-known wine from Portugal, once widely used by the original colonists of the United States. President George Washington employed it for the most important ceremonial events, including the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

Portugal’s Wine-making Undergoes a Modern Revolution
While Port and Madeira wines are the oldest and best-known from Portugal, today they are far from the only offerings. The quality of Portugal’s new table wines is earning worldwide fans.

Great Variety in Varietals
Around 200 native grape varietals grow in 10 regions of the country, resulting in a wide variety of wines with a distinctively fresh personality. Some of the most important Portuguese grapes include Loureiro, Alvarinho, Bical, Arinto, Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz and Baga.

Investment and Modernization Pay Off: Portugal Ranked Sixth Top Wine Producer
Portugal is now one of the world’s top wine producers, ranked 6th in the world. Eight percent of Portugal’s mainland is dedicated to vineyards, with grape vines growing everywhere except on its highest mountain peaks.

Over the past 20 years, Portugal has steadily invested in its wine-making industry by adding modern equipment and careful cultivation practices, improving on techniques that reach back to before Roman times.