NEW WINES FROM THE WORLD: SPAIN AND PORTUGAL

Portugal is above all known for its most famous products, Porto and Madeira, but in recent years it has also distinguished itself for the quality of its production of still table wines, red in particular. The wine history of Portugal can be identified with the Spanish one, and it all starts with the Carthaginians first and the Romans after. Dark centuries due to the Moorish domination and the appearance of phylloxera, caused a disaster in all wine-growing regions and occurred with the entry of Portugal into the European Union in 1986. The Portuguese wine regions are the Douro where the famous Port and red wines among the best in the country are produced, Madeira famous for its wine of the same name, the Minho area mainly known for Vinho Verde, the Dão region, south of the Douro, where mainly red wines are produced, La Bairrada is located in central Portugal and is also known for its red wines and sparkling wines. At the far south of the country is the Alentejo area. The most common white grape varieties are: Alvarinho, Bual, Códega, Encruzado, Gouveio, Loureiro, Malvasia Fina, Pedernã, Rabigato, Sercial, Trajadura, Verdelho and Viosinho. The most important black grape varieties are: Alfrocheiro Preto, Aragonez, Azal Tinto, Baga, Bastardo, Jaén, Periquita, Tinta Barroca, Barca Tinta, Tinta Negra Mole, Tinta Roriz, Tinto Cão, Touriga Francesa, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira Preto and Vinhao. Spain is one of the most important protagonists of European viticulture and some of its wines have entered and become part of the restricted circle of the most popular types in the whole world. There are six areas of wine production in Spain: Rioja, south of the Basque Country, Ribera del Duero, north of Madrid, along the course of the homonymous river, the Priory and Penedès, south of Barcelona, ​​in Catalonia, the Rias Baixas to the north in Galicia and Jerez, in Andalusia, in the far south of the country. A characteristic of Spain is the limited diffusion of the so-called "international" vines and the prevalence of native species in almost all regions. Spain is known primarily for its red wines, but in reality the most cultivated grape in the country comes from a white grape variety, the Airén, widespread in the Mancha plains, south of Madrid. Below we find the Albariño with which the fragrant white wines of the Rías Baixas region are produced. In Rioja we find the Macabeo, Malvasia and Garnacha Blanca vines, in the Catalan region of Penedès lo Xarel-lo, Parellada, Macabeo and Chardonnay. Jerez is produced with Palomino, Moscatel and Pedro Ximénez white berried grapes. As for black berried grapes, the most representative Spanish species is Tempranillo, with which Rioja wines are produced, together with Garnacha, Mazuelo and Graciano. In Ribera del Duero, Garnacha and Tempranillo are grown, in Priorat Cariñena (Carignan), Garnacha, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Syrah. In Penedès the cultivated black berried vines are Cabernet Sauvignon, Garnacha and Monastrell.