Wine is probably the drink that has been part of our culture for the longest time. “In a Portuguese house, bread and wine are good on the table”, sang the iconic Amália Rodrigues, transporting to music a reality very present in our people. But do we all know how to identify the different types of wine?

The wines are distinguished by their main characteristics and can be grouped depending on the grape variety, fermentation and aging, and can also be divided into white, red and rosé.

• White wine

Typically, white wine is produced from the fermentation of skinless grapes. Contrary to what you might think, the grapes used in the production of white wine do not necessarily have to be white.

Ideal to accompany fish or white meat dishes, white wine is light and fragrant.

• Red wine

This type of wine is produced from the fermentation of red grapes that remain in contact with the skins during the process. Red wine varies depending on aging, with younger wines being soft and aromatic, with a more delicate taste. In turn, aged reds are fuller-bodied, have a very intense aroma, a softer aftertaste and a high alcohol content.

Red meat is the ideal accompaniment to this type of wine.

• Rosé wine

For lovers of fresher, smoother wines, rosé may be the ideal choice. This type of wine is produced from red grape varieties, through a special fermentation process: after a short period, the skin of the grape is removed, as it has already transferred the desired pink tone to the wine. Then, a fermentation process identical to that of white wine takes place – without the skin.

• Green wine

Green and ripe is a very common distinction when we talk about Portuguese wines. Popularly, it is normal to differentiate between green wines, produced in the Entre Douro and Minho region, and those produced in other regions – the mature ones.

• Mature wine

Outside the Vinhos Verdes wine region, where the green wine that reaches our tables comes from, what is produced is mature wine. We are talking about the Douro, Dão and Alentejo regions.

• Sparkling Wines

This type of wine is distinguished by having a significant amount of carbon dioxide. This happens after a secondary fermentation process that adds gas to the wine, resulting in the well-known “bubble”.

Normally, these wines undergo their final fermentation phase in the bottle, this being the classic method.

Among sparkling wines we distinguish two types:

Sparkling wine

Coming from red or white grape varieties, this wine goes through two fermentations. The first transforms grape juice into wine and is called alcoholic fermentation. The second is fermentation which gives rise to bubbles and foam.

Frizzante

Unlike sparkling wine, in sparkling wine the gas is obtained artificially. What happens is that, when alcoholic fermentation takes place, carbon dioxide is artificially introduced into the wine.

Port wine

Port wine has different color variations, as it can be produced from both white and red grape varieties. Regarding flavor, depending on when fermentation is stopped, these wines can be very sweet, sweet, semi-dry or extra-dry.

Muscat Wine

In Portugal, the Setúbal area is quite famous for its Moscatel. This is a very sweet wine, which displays a golden tone and is distinguished by its floral and fruity odor. There is also Moscatel do Douro, produced in the Favaios and Alijó region, which comes from the Moscatel Galego grape variety.