Bairrada DOC

DOC area in the west of the Portuguese region of Beiras near the Atlantic coast. It is an ancient wine-growing region; in the 14th and 15th centuries, a third of the area was used for viticulture. At the beginning of the 18th century, the dark and tannin-rich red wines were very popular in England and were also sold as port wine (from the Douro region to the north) or blended with it. When the borders for port wine were established in 1756, the then Portuguese Minister-President Marquês de Pombal (1699-1782) ordered the Bairrada vineyards to be cleared to protect the port wine.

Decline & new beginning

In 1908, the area was removed from the list of wine-growing regions by the government. It was not until 1979 that the area was reclassified as a Vinho Regional (regional wine) and later as a DOC area. Luiz Costa, the owner of the Caves São João winery, made a great contribution to the area by vehemently striving for high quality standards and co-founding the Bairrada Wine Brotherhood (Academy for Bairrada Wine).

Vineyards & grape varieties

The area is influenced by the Atlantic Ocean with extreme climatic fluctuations with lots of rain and cool temperatures. The vineyards cover around 15,000 hectares of vines. The name Bairrada is derived from the Portuguese term for the clay or loam that predominates here, which is enriched with lime. Unusually for Portugal, the red Baga grape variety clearly dominates, accounting for over 70% of the vineyard area. Around 70% of red wines are made from this variety, which must contain at least 50% of the variety.

Other indigenous varieties are Borrado das Moscas (Bical), Castelão Francês, Maria Gomes (Fernão Pires), Rabo de Ovelha and Tinta Pinheira (Rufete). Many sparkling wines are also produced, although these do not have DOC status. The most important white wine varieties are Bical and Maria Gomes (Fernão Pires).

Producers

Well-known producers are Casa de Saima, Caves Allianca, Caves São João, Fonseca, Luis Pato, Quinta da Rigodeira and Sogrape with a large winery in Anadia, where the majority of the rosé wine Mateus is produced.