Bairrada is a Portuguese wine

Portuguese wine

Portuguese wine is the result of traditions introduced to the region by ancient civilizations, such as the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and mostly the Romans. Portugal started to export its wines to Rome during the Roman Empire. Modern exports developed with trade to England after the...

 region located in the Beiras region. The region has Portugal

Portugal

Portugal , officially the Portuguese Republic is a country situated in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Portugal is the westernmost country of Europe, and is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the West and South and by Spain to the North and East. The Atlantic archipelagos of the...

's highest wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 classification as a Denominação de Origem Controlada

Denominação de Origem Controlada

The Denominação de Origem Controlada is the system of protected designation of origin for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products from Portugal.-Wines:...

(DOC). It is located close to the Atlantic which ocean currents have a moderating affect on the climate. The region is bordered to the north by the Lafões IPR

Lafões IPR

Lafões is a Portuguese wine region, near Viséu, overlapping into the Dão and Vinho Verde DOCs. The region has the second tier Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada classification and may some day be promoted to Denominação de Origem Controlada...

 and to the east by the Dão DOC. The region is known its deep colored tannic red wines that often have bell pepper

Bell pepper

Bell pepper, also known as sweet pepper or a pepper and capsicum , is a cultivar group of the species Capsicum annuum . Cultivars of the plant produce fruits in different colors, including red, yellow, orange and green. Bell peppers are sometimes grouped with less pungent pepper varieties as...

 and black currant flavors as well its emerging rosé

Rosé

A rosé is a type of wine that has some of the color typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. The pink color can range from a pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine making techniques.- Production techniques :There are three major ways to produce rosé...

 production. The boundaries of the Bairrada DOC includes the municipalities of Anadia

Anadia

-Places:*Anadia Municipality, Alagoas, a municipality in the State of Alagoas, Brazil*Anadia Municipality, Portugal, a municipality in the district of Aveiro...

, Cantanhede, Mealhada

Mealhada

Mealhada Municipality is located in Aveiro District in Portugal. It has a total area of 110.7 km² and a total population of 21,282 inhabitants, and 17,043 electors . The city of Mealhada itself has a population of 5.000....

 and Oliveira do Bairro

Oliveira do Bairro

Oliveira do Bairro is a municipality in Portugal with a total area of 87.3 km² and a total population of 22,012 inhabitants, and 16,994 electors . The town itself has a population of 3,077....

.

History

Viticulture

Viticulture

Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...

 in the Bairrada has existed since at least the 10th century, when the region gained independence

Reconquista

The Reconquista was a period of almost 800 years in the Middle Ages during which several Christian kingdoms succeeded in retaking the Muslim-controlled areas of the Iberian Peninsula broadly known as Al-Andalus...

 from the Moors

Moors

The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of the Maghreb region who are predominately of Berber and Arab descent. They came to conquer and rule the Iberian Peninsula for nearly 800 years. At that time they were Muslim, although earlier the people had followed...

. Located just south of the major Port wine

Port wine

Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...

 producing center of Oporto, the fortunes of Bairrada were on the upswing during the 17th century when Port producers, eager to supply the growing British market, would blend Bairrada wines with the product coming from the Douro.

Grapes

The principal grapes of the Bairrada region includes Baga

Baga (grape)

Baga is a red Portuguese wine grape variety planted primarily in the Bairrada DOC. As a varietal, Baga produces tannic wines with high acidity.-Synonyms:...

, Borrado das Moscas, Castelao Frances, Fernao Pires

Fernão Pires

Fernão Pires is a white Portuguese wine grape grown throughout Portugal but most notable in the Tejo and Bairrada where it is also known as "Maria Gomes". This varietal is known to produce wines with a spicy aromatic character, though often with delicate exotic fruity notes...

, Rabo de Ovelha

Rabo de Ovelha

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,...

 and Tinta Pinheira.