Dynamic wines

Portugal has 14 primary wine regions, two of which are UNESCO heritage sites. They are the acclaimed Douro region, located in the north of the country, and Pico Island, located in the Azores archipelago.

These areas began to develop over the course of the 12th and 13th centuries, when Portuguese grape growers planted Burgundian varietals. In the 15th century, at the time of Henry the Navigator, Moscatel and Malvasia grape varietals were brought from the island of Crete and planted on the newly discovered island of Madeira.

After the phylloxera epidemic wiped out almost all European rootstock, the Portuguese began the arduous task of replanting their vineyards by grafting native varietals onto North American rootstock. This was no easy undertaking, as there are approximately 130 varietals unique to Portugal— some of which are even unique within a region. Starting almost from scratch, the grape growers of the time decided also to plant a commercial selection of non-Portuguese varietals.

Presently, the 14 Portuguese wine regions have 26 Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) areas. The Portuguese equivalent of the French AOC (or our VQA designation) means that only wines produced from indigenous grapes are recognized in this category by the European Union. Other wines are identified by their varietal (as are many Portuguese wines) and are unable to carry the DOC designation.

While in Portugal, I only had the opportunity to taste wines from three regions. I look forward to returning to this dynamic country to continue my quest.

THIS WEEK’S PICK
This week, I tasted the latest (2014) Estate Pinot Gris from the Grange of Prince Edward. The team of Caroline Granger and Maggie Belcastro allow minimal skin contact with the juice in order to produce an ever-so-slightly discernible copper hue to the wine. On the palate, the wine is a like a slice of lemon meringue pie with a crisp and clean finish.

Just released by the LCBO, this wine is also available at the winery on Closson Road. At $16.95, it would be perfect for the celebration of Easter.