葡萄详情

The Portuguese White Blend has traditionally been made from all manner of combinations of grape varieties, comprising numerous indigenous Portuguese varieties with myriad regional synonyms. The precise identity of the varieties in a wine – and the proportions they represent in the final blend – may not be known even to the winemakers themselves.

Varietal labeling is a relatively new concept to wine, embraced wholeheartedly by New World producers while European growers have preferred to keep the more traditional regional naming conventions. Nowhere has this been more entrenched than in Portugal, where vineyards were often co-planted with many different grape varieties, and made into field blends. While regulation and legally enforced controls have been adopted in the last few decades (particularly since Portugal's entry into the European Union in 1986), the tradition for blended wines remains strong, and a Portuguese white wine could feasibly have all manner of grape varieties used in its production.

The grape varieties used in the Portuguese white blend do have some regional specificity. Generally, wines from the north are made up of Loureiro, Verdelho and Alvarinho, with their most famous application being the spritzy Vinho Verde wines. In the center of the country Arinto, Encruzado and Bical dominate blends, and Antao Vaz is used widely in the south. However, very few producers state the grape varieties or proportions used in their wines. The same is true of the country's blended red wines, and also of fortified White Port wines.

Food matches for Portuguese White Blends include:

• Bacalhau à Gomes de Sá (cod, potato, egg, olive and onion casserole)
• Bánh xèo (Vietnamese pancakes with pork, shrimp, spring onion and beansprouts)
• Clam and corn chowder