You can read Part 1 of this article right here.
In the manor houses and at the Court
The wines produced from the Malvasia grape variety were highly appreciated during these times. We have written reports of the importance of the Malvasias from the island of Madeira, chosen even for the most noble tables. By the end of the 15th century, the island's production was already registered and taxed for export, and its consumption was extended far beyond the borders of the Kingdom. Other Malvasias, of great antiquity, were consumed in the Portuguese territory. Some originated in the Colares area (near Sintra), where they had been registered since the 13th century. Other Malvasias came from the scattered areas between Beira-Baixa and Beira-Alta.
Regardless of the value attributed to these grapes in the historical records, they survived and continued to produce wines very similar to the best Greek-style white wines.
Wines from the neighboring Castile and Aragon were also imported to Portugal. Since the end of the 15th century and throughout the 16th century, it's been documented the consumption of the famous white wine of Madrigal from the Verdejo variety.
This variety, considered to be very old, possibly with North African origins and yet unrelated to other homonymous varieties, was planted exclusively in the region of the vast Rueda plateau in Spain.
Other grape varieties expanded throughout the country, but are associated with more restricted locations where. Good examples are Bastardo and Moscatel which are associated with the production of the vast farmlands owned by the the monastic orders, particularly that of Santiago. These lands extended along the banks of the Tagus, in the Lisbon region, and the Sado River in the Setubal region. Both Bastardo and Moscatel wines were exported to the northern European markets.
"The Bastardo grape variety was queen of the "Charnecas" of the Lisbon region and of the Tagus shore."
Originating in the highlands of the Jura mountains, the Bastardo grape variety settled was brought to Portugal by the crusaders in the 12th century. The wine produced at the Lavradio farms near Barreiro became particularly famous, and was probably consumed at the courts in Almeirim and Lisbon during the reign of King João III and Queen Catarina of Austria.
Here's Duarte Nunes do Leão in his 1610 Description of the Kingdom of Portugal:
"The very celebrated Alcouchette, and Caparica wines are very well known to the lords and men of Flanders and Germany who send for the neighboring ones and compete with these from Barreiro, Lavradio, Seixal, Alhos Vedros".
Today's region of Península de Setúbal.
The white wines from the Arinto variety, or the wines from Azoy (Santa Iria da Azóia - Loures), travelled well and there are many records of the vast quantities of barrels that were shipped by boat, especially to the ports of Midelburg in the Netherlands, from where they continued traveling further north.
In England the Arintos were also highly regarded. There's a curious reference to one of the characters in Shakespeare's play Henry VI (1613) who was offered a glass of the much desired "Charneco", the name of one of the localities (Charneca, Vila de Rei) precisely where the Arinto wine from Bucelas region was produced.
Both in Alcobaça and in the region of Vila Nova de Ourém, of markedly Cistercian influence, the production of red or blended wine was maintained, which, thanks to its high alcoholic content, had an excellent conservation power, remaining fresh and pleasant beyond one year of age.
The Douro Wines
Since the late Middle Ages, the best Douro wines were already highly valued. In 1532, Rui Fernandes, the king's steward in the city of Lamego, highlights the excellence of the wines and their ability to age four, five, six and more years, "becoming" better and "smelling" better over time.
Cargo Wines
A category of wines of undoubtedly mercantile vocation appear in several documents of the sixteenth century with the designation of "Cargo wines". They were served at the tables of the Court and stately homes in Portugal and Castile. At that time, two productive areas were demarcated: Riba de Pinhão and Vila Real, which even before the end of the XVI century, were sending "clean and sweet wines" to the city of Porto to be exported.
A VERY detailed map of Portugal's Douro Valley. Source: The World Atlas of Wine by Jancis Robinson
The Loureiro grape variety also stands out. Originally from between the rivers Lima and Cávado, Loureiro was used in the Vinho Verde area among other grapes. From the 16th century, the vines were supported on tree trunks and branches to free up the space below to plant the corn of brought from the American continent.
Because of this "very bad grapes were produced and the wine from these grapes was worth less than the price of the good wine". The same could not be said of the wine production around the Minho River of the border lands of Ribadavia (today's Galicia).
The wine from Ribadavia was famous beyond the Iberian Peninsula and in 1522, Gil Vicente in "Pranto de Maria Parda" describes, through the words of the main character who wanders through the taverns of Lisbon, the difference in quality of the wine produced in these two neighboring regions.
"To the man from between Douro and Minho they will not give him bread or wine, but those from Ribadavia are treated with affection and as good neighbors."
Mid 16th Century
From the mid 16th century, regardless of consumer tastes and habits, the wine industry was forced to evolve in a non-linear way. The first change was caused by a crisis that deeply affected agriculture in Portugal. The consequent "reconversion" of the vineyards would trigger a new approach in wine making and the creation of new beverages.
Another change would follow demographic growth and economic developments in exports, due to Portuguese expansion. The expansion would trigger a great increase in wine production and give origin to the "bulk" wines.
With the arrival of the Habsburg monarchy, two new grape varieties, Tempranillo and Graciano, were added to the Portuguese vineyards. Today both grapes are part of the vast Portuguese viticultural heritage.
Excerpt from: Crespo, H. (2018), À Mesa do Príncipe. Jantar e Cear na Corte de Lisboa (1500-1700). Lisboa: Norprint-Casa do Livro
Comments