Glossary

A

• Adega

  Winery, cellar.

B

• Bagaceira

  Grape marc spirit. Made from grape skins, pips and other residuals after pressing.

• Bruto

  Brut, for a sparkling wine with sugar dosage inferior to 12g/Litre.

C

• CVR

  Acronym for “Comissão Vitivinícola Regional”, regional wine commission.

• Casta

  Grape variety.

• Colheita

  Vintage, date of harvest.

• Colheita Tardia

  Late harvest. Official designation for DOC/DOP wine and IGP wine.

D

• DOC (Portugal) or DOP (Europe)

  The highest official European category in terms of quality, with specific rules for each region, concerning authorised grape varieties, winemaking processes, alcohol percentage...

• Doce

  Sweet. A wine is sweet when it contains more than 50 g/l of reducing sugars (glucose and fructose).

E

• Estágio

  Ageing in bottle or cask.

G

• Garrafeira

  Official designation for DOC/DOP wine and IGP wine with harvest year and minimum aging: for red wine an aging of at least 30 months, of which at least 12 months in glass bottle; for white and rose wines an aging of at least 12 months, of which at least 6 months in a glass bottle. It also stands for wine shop or wine cellar in Portuguese.

• Grande Reserva

  Official designation for DOC/DOP wine and IGP wine with highlighted organoleptic characteristics and an alcoholic strength equal to or greater than (in 1% by vol.) the minimum threshold set as evaluated by the panel of the regional wine commission. The use of this designation requires the indication of the harvest year.

I

• IVV

  Acronym for “Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho”, Portuguese public vine and wine institute. Vinho Licoroso – Liqueur wine, fortified wine.

L

• Lagar

  Fermentation vat, often shallow, made of granite, marble, concrete ir stainless steel, in which grapes are trodden by foot or mechanically.

M

• Meio Seco

  Medium dry. Champagne, sparkling and semi sparkling wines with a residual sugar content between 33 g/l and 50 g/l

Q

• Quinta/Herdade

  Wine estate or property. Quinta is a designation most traditionally used at the northern part of the country and Herdade is used in the South.

R

• Reserva

  Designation of Superior quality for DOP Wines which has to be certified by the certification body.

S

• Seco

  Wines with a sugar dosage inferior to 4g/Litre.

• Selecção do Enólogo

  “Winemaker selection”, unofficial designation for a wine recommended by the winemaker.

V

• Vinho

  The Portuguese word for wine, but also the designation for ex “table wine”, wine not certified by the local wine commission and not following the rules for DOC/DOP or Vinho Regional/IGP wines.

• Vinho Branco

  White wine. Made from white grapes.

• Vinho Espumante

  Sparkling Wine. Wine obtained by a second fermentation in the bottle with the addition of yeast (classic or champagne method). It can also be obtained by a second fermentation in a closed vat (continuous method).

• Vinho Generoso/Licoroso

  Fortified wine, generally obtained by adding alcohol or wine brandy during the winemaking process, interrupting the process.

• Vinho Regional (Portugal) or IGP (Europe)

  With no specific area and with a wider range of rules in terms of winemaking and grape varieties. This is a category often used in top quality wines that don't fit in the DOPs requisites.

• Vinho Tinto

  Red wine. Obtained by fermenting the must of red varieties, pigmented by maceration of solid matter that has a strong colouring power.

• Vinho Tranquilo

  Table wine. Expression traditionally used in opposition to sparkling and liqueur wines.

• Vinho Varietal

  Wine made from a single noble variety, or with an absolute dominance of this strain.