Sparkling wine from Portugal, called Vinho Espumante, is rarely found outside the country. This is not least due to the low production volume, sparkling wine accounts for less than 1% of the production volume in Portugal, so it is a niche product. In addition, there is a dominant producer who is responsible for more than half of the production. Individual high-quality sparkling wines is therefore rare.
However, the relatively cool Bairrada wine-growing region in northern Portugal is particularly well suited for the cultivation of sparkling wines, as the wines here have the necessary acidity.
The top winemaker Luis Pato makes first-class sparkling wine in Bairrada using the bottle fermentation process. The Maria Gomes is made from white grapes, the Informal from red Baga grapes. Must try.
In production, the best sparkling wine producers in Portugal are based on Champagne. Bottle fermentation and long storage times on the yeast are common here, as is the time-consuming manual shaking of the bottles so that the yeast settles in the bottleneck and can be removed. However, local vines are often used in Portugal, occasionally supplemented by the champagne vine Chardonnay.
