Next to France, Italy and Spain, the ranking would not be complete without Portugal when is comes to wine producing countries. With more than 200 different native grape varieties, anywhere you visit in Portugal will be close to a winery and local wine wine-producers that take care of their terroir. Whether you love Portugal wines, or just want to know more about the country’s main wine regions, keep on reading!
Discover what are the main Portugal wine regions you should visit!
Map of Portugal wine regions
Top 7 Portugal wine regions
1. Douro Valley – most famous
Most beautiful rolling hills and river await you at the Douro Valley, the oldest wine region in the world! The Douro Valley is a peculiar territory, making it a unique and iconic region for wine production and the creation wine-gems, such as the remarkable Port Wine. It’s no wonder Douro Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site – the natural beauty of the scenery is like no other in Europe. Between small mountains, vineyards and the river, you’ll be delighted to spend an afternoon in a Douro Valley and visit wineries to sip Port wine behind the scenes.
Discover more about the Douro Valley and the city of Porto!
2. Vinho Verde – Young light wines
Located right under the Spanish border, Vinho Verde is the largest of Portugal wine regions with 34,000 hectares of vines. The name of this Portuguese wine region means Green Wine, but does not refer to the color of the wine, but the type of wine: it does not need to age, and is best consumed only a few years after production. The region is renowned for creating aromatic, refreshing, clean and very light wines – the perfect kind for hot summer evenings. The best way to visit Vinho Verde is to take the Green Wine trail, starting from the Minho province. Book your wine experiences with Winalist to make the most of your tour in Vinho Verde wine region!
3. Lisbon’s surroundings
Portugal’s capital city is also at the heart of a fantastic wine region! Actually, Lisbon wine region is the second-largest wine producer. A beautiful colorful Portuguese town with countless activities, Lisbon is a great compromise between city-tourism, the beach, sight-seeing and terrific wine experiences. Lisboa’s wine region is also notable for creating “vinho da mesa” – meaning table wines, but not less qualitative. You can easily plan settling a full week in Lisbon, you’ll regret rushing a stay in Portugal’s heart and miss out on essentials!
4. Alentejo – Widest wine region
Southeast of Portugal, the wine region of Alentejo is the widest of Portugal wine regions, covering no less than a third of the country. It is divided into 8 main subregions: Reguengos, Borba, Redondo, Vidigueira, Evora, Granja-Amarelaja, Moura and Portalegre – where 3 grape varieties are grown: Roupeiro, Antão Vaz and Arinto. Also designated as the “New Tuscany”, Alentejo produces some of Portugal’s finest wines, and the region is being ranked as a territory of excellent wine production. Wineries in Alentejo create full-bodied red wines, rich in tannins with wild berries aromas, while white wines are slightly acid with tropical fruit aromas. The main town in the area to visit is Beja, and you can taste local wine and traditional cuisine at Herdade de Sobroso. Discover Alentejo wines by booking wines experiences on Winalist!
5. Madeira – Tropical wine region
A glamorous tropical island, deep in the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira is also one of Portugal’s main wine regions, home to one of Portugal’s most iconic fortified wines, right behind Port wine. It’s a wine region like no other in Portugal, or even south of Europe: the wine-making process to create Madeira wines is very peculiar. For lower Madeira quality wine, grapes are artificially heated for three months, kept in steel barrels. But for top quality Madeira, grapes are naturally heated from the sun and can be left untouched for tens of years. If you are fund or fortified red wines and tropical destination, Madeira is a perfect combination!
6. Algarve – Where the sun shines all year long
Clear down south, the small wine region of Algarve is the sunniest part of Portugal all year long – which explains why it’s also one of the country’s best regions for excellent wine production. Divided into 4 subregions (Lagos, Portimão, Lagoa, Tavira), Algarve gathers vineyards where wineries mainly produce red wines, from Negra mOle, Trincadeira and Castelão grapes. The area is simply stunning, a great destination if you don’t mind cooking under the sun. Make to visit the “Venice of the South”, meaning the city of Tavura! It’s very easy to tour around the area to meet local wine-growers and taste their wines, but it’s even better to book your experience in advance!
7. Dão – Portugal’s underrated wine region
In the center-north part of Portugal sets the cute wine region of Dão. This underrated wine region of Portugal is probably one that produces best hidden wine wonders in Portugal. Connoisseurs are giving more and more attention to the Dão region, as an area that produces serious quality wines. Thanks to a great terroir between valleys and mountains, the vines benefit from a mild climate with both sun and rain and fertile soil. In fact, conditions are so optimum for wine-growing that Romans already understood the high potential of the area and exploited the land. The best places to visit in there are cute and picturesque villages such as Santar.
FAQ & Useful resources
Is Porto famous for wine?
The city of Porto is internationally notorious for being a City o Wines, and is the birthplace of one of Portugal’s most famous wine in the world: Porto wine.
Where are most of the wineries in Portugal?
Most of the wineries in Portugal are located in the country’s main wine regions: Douro Valley, Alentejo, the Algarve, Beira, Dao, Minho, Tejo, Setubal, Ribatejo, Montes and Tras-os-Montes.
Where is the best wine region in Portugal?
The best wine region in Portugal and the most famous one is Douro Valley, home to the very popular Porto wine. The Valley itself is officially recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site.
How many wine regions are in Portugal?
Portugal counts 14 major wine regions where more than 250 indigenous grape varieties are grown.
Where is Douro wine region?
The Douro wine region is located in Portugal, north of the country – it bears the name of the Douro River. It is Portugal’s most famous wine region.
