Arinto | |
---|---|
Grape (Vitis) | |
Color of berry skin | White |
Species | Vitis vinifera |
Also called | Arinto de Bucelas and other synonyms |
Origin | Portugal |
VIVC number | 602 |
Arinto or Arinto de Bucelas is a white Portuguese wine grape planted primarily in the Bucelas, Tejo and Vinho Verde regions. It can produce high acid wines with lemon notes. [1]
Arinto is also known by the synonyms Arintho, Arintho du Dao, Arinto Cachudo, Arinto Cercial, Arinto d'Anadia, Arinto de Bucelas, Arinto do Douro, Arinto Galego, Asal Espanhol, Asal Galego, Assario branco, Boal Cachudo, Branco Espanhol, Cerceal, Chapeludo, Malvasia Fina, Pe de Perdiz branco, Pederna, and Pedernao. [2]
Arinto (or Arintho) is also part of the name of, or a synonym of other varieties. Notably, Arinto is a synonym of Malvasia Fina and Loureira, and Arinto tinto is a synonym of Tempranillo. Arinto dos Açores, the most common grape variety in the Azores, is a distinct variety, and may be related to verdelho. [3]
Malvasia is a group of wine grape varieties grown historically in the Mediterranean region, Balearic Islands, Canary Islands and the island of Madeira, but now grown in many of the winemaking regions of the world. In the past, the names Malvasia, Malvazia, and Malmsey have been used interchangeably for Malvasia-based wines; however, in modern oenology, "Malmsey" is now used almost exclusively for a sweet variety of Madeira wine made from the Malvasia grape. Grape varieties in this family include Malvasia bianca, Malvasia di Schierano, Malvasia negra, Malvasia nera, Malvasia nera di Brindisi, Malvasia di Candia aromatica, Malvasia odorosissima, and a number of other varieties.
Boal is a name given to several varieties of grape cultivated in Portugal, notably in the production of medium-rich fortified wines from Madeira Island. On many wine labels of Madeira wine, the variety's name is anglicized as Bual. Bual from Madeira is typically less sweet than that from Malmsey, but more sweet than Sercial or Verdelho. The vines are also common in Portugal and Spain, where the fruit is used in the same way for fortified wines.
Trebbiano is an Italian wine grape, one of the most widely planted grape varieties in the world. It gives good yields, but tends to yield undistinguished wine. It can be fresh and fruity, but does not keep long. Also known as ugni blanc, it has many other names reflecting a family of local subtypes, particularly in Italy and France. Its high acidity makes it important in Cognac and Armagnac productions.
Alvarinho or Albariño is a variety of white wine grape grown in Northwest Portugal and Galicia where it is also used to make varietal white wines. In Portugal it is known as Alvarinho, and sometimes as Cainho Branco, Albariño is the Galician name for the grape.
Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gallaecia-Lusitania times, the native peoples only drank beer and were unfamiliar with wine production. Portugal started to export its wines to Rome during the Roman Empire. Modern exports developed with trade to England after the Methuen Treaty in 1703. From this commerce a wide variety of wines started to be grown in Portugal. And, in 1758, one of the first wine-producing regions of the world, the Região Demarcada do Douro was created under the orientation of Marquis of Pombal, in the Douro Valley. Portugal has two wine-producing regions protected by UNESCO as World Heritage: the Douro Valley Wine Region and Pico Island Wine Region. Portugal has a big variety of local kinds, producing a very wide variety of different wines with distinctive personality.
Bucelas is a Portuguese wine-region located in the Lisboa wine-region. The region has Portugal's highest wine classification as a Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC). Located south of the Arruda DOC, the region is noted for its potential for cool fermentation white wine production. Vineyards in the area are planted on predominantly loam soils. The white wines of Bucelas became widely popular during the Elizabethan era in England and again during the Victorian age. In London the wines were sometimes described as Portuguese hock because of their similarities to the German Rieslings from the Rhine. Urban sprawl in the 20th century has drastically reduced viticulture in the area, located north of the Portuguese capital city, Lisbon.
Portalegre is a Portuguese wine region centered on the Portalegre municipality in the Alentejo wine region. The region was initially an Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada (IPR) region, then elevated to Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) status. In 2003, it became one of eight subregions of the Alentejo DOC. Its name may still be indicated together with that of Alentejo, as Alentejo-Portalegre.
Tejo, until 2009 named Ribatejo, is a Portuguese wine region covering the same areas as the Ribatejo Province. It takes its name from the river Tejo (Tagus). The entire region is entitled to use the Vinho Regional designation Tejo VR, while some areas are also classified at the higher Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) level under the designation DoTejo DOC. VR is similar to the French vin de pays and DOC to the French AOC.
Azal branco is a white Portuguese wine grape planted primarily in the Minho region but with greater expansion to Amarante, Basto, Baião and Vale do Sousa sub-regions. It noted for the high acidity of its wines, and is used for white Vinho Verde. Varietal Azal Branco wines can be somewhat reminiscent of Riesling.
Bical is a white Portuguese wine grape planted primarily in the Bairrada region. It can produce high acid wines and is often used in sparkling wine production.
Cayetana blanca, also known as Cayetana or Jaén, is a white Spanish wine grape. It is grown mainly in the south of Spain, especially in Extremadura and in the Jerez region where it is distilled for use in brandy production.
Marufo or Mourisco tinto is a red Portuguese wine grape that is planted primarily in the Douro DOC. It is a recommended grape in Port wine production.
Parraleta is a red Spanish wine grape variety which might also be known under various other names, such as Tinta Caiada in several Mediterranean countries. Parraleta is chosen as a prime name as it was used in Somontano, region located in the north-east Spain, which is its likely place of origin. DNA profiles of Tinta Caiada, and Carenisca, and Salceño Negro with that of Parraleta suggests that they are one and the same variety.
Azal Tinto or Amaral is a variety of red Portuguese wine grape. It is planted in the Minho region where it is used in red Vinho Verde, while the related Azal Branco is used for white Vinho Verde.
Rabo de Ovelha is white Portuguese wine grape variety that is grown all over Portugal. It should not be confused with the red Rabo de Anho grape variety that is found in the Vinho Verde region. Rabo de Ovelha is an authorized grape variety in the Bairrada, Borba, Bucelas, Redondo, Reguengos, Setúbal and Vidigueira Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC). The grape variety gets its name from the way its grape bunches resembles the end of a ewe's tail. In winemaking, Rabo de Ovelha is known for producing highly alcoholic wines that wine expert Jancis Robinson describes as lacking subtlety.
Doña Blanca is a white Spanish and Portuguese grape variety that is grown primarily in the northwest Galicia region of Spain and throughout Portugal from the Douro northward. The variety is a permitted grape in the Spanish Denominación de Origens (DOs) of Valdeorras and Monterrei in Galicia and Bierzo in nearby Castile and León. In Spain, the variety is known as Doña Blanca, while in Portugal it goes mainly by the name Doña Branca. The grapes have thick skins, which do well in the wet maritime climate, but it can also impart some astringency and slight bitterness even with the briefest of skin contact during production due to the high proportion of polyphenols in the skin.
Vital is a white Portuguese wine grape variety that is grown primarily in Western Portugal. Sometimes known under the synonym Malvasia Corado, the variety tends to produce rather neutral flavor wine with low acidity unless the grape is grown in vineyards of high altitude.
Terrantez is a white Portuguese wine grape variety that was once widely used on the island of Madeira to make the sweet fortified wine for which the island is known. Today, the variety is nearly extinct on the island. There are still some limited plantings in the Minho Province where, as Cascal, is a permitted blending variety with Alvarinho and other grapes in the Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC) wine Vinho Verde. As Terrantez the grape is permitted in several of the Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada (IPR) regions of the Azores including Biscoitos IPR on Terceira Island, Graciosa IPR on the white island of Graciosa and Pico IPR on Pico Island.