In July 2017 I visited, together with other colleagues, some wine-growing areas in Portugal.
Like Spain, the territory is decidedly suited to the production of red wines (85% of wine production); little rainfall and concentrated in autumn-winter and a decidedly warm climate favor the complete ripening of the red berry. The reference vines are Touriga national, Tinta Roriz and others. Albarinho, Loureiro, etc. are the white ones. For the latter, the climatic requirements impose the production of fresh wines, harvested early with good acidity, tending to be light but suitable for the current market needs. Their production is however limited to 15% of the total production, so it is perfectly clear that the main effort is concentrated on red grape varieties. My visit, which also included a stop to visit the cork processing plants and a decortica in the forest, was concentrated in the Douro Valley, famous for the production of Port wine, which lives on a centuries-old history, perhaps a bit touristy. Here this “strengthened” wine is proposed in various forms ranging from white Port, Tawny, Pink, Ruby, Colheita, LBV and Vintage, depending on the grapes, ageing or harvest.