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Unfortunately there is no information about Bairrada DOC available.
Bairrada DOC

Description to Bairrada DOC

DOC area in the west of the Portuguese region of Beiras near the Atlantic coast. It is an ancient wine-growing area, 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 issued as port wine (from the Douro area to the north of it) or blended with it. In 1756, when the boundaries for port wine were established, the then Portuguese minister-president Marquês de Pombal (1699-1782) ordered that the vineyards of Bairrada be cleared to protect port wine. In 1908, the government eliminated the area from the list of wine-growing regions. It was not until 1979 that the area was reclassified as a Vinho Regional (Country Wine) and later as a DOC area. Luiz Costa, the owner of the Caves São João winery, rendered great service to the area, vehemently striving for high quality standards and co-founding the Bairrada Wine Brotherhood (Academy of Bairrada Wine).

The area is under the influence of 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 predominant clay or loam here, which is enriched with lime. Unusually for Portugal, the red Baga grape variety clearly dominates with over 70% of the vineyard area. Around 70% of the red wines are made from it, 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 they do not have DOC status. The most important white wine varieties for this are Bical and Maria Gomes (Fernão Pires). 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 main part of the rosé wine Mateus is produced.

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