Regions

Wine Regions of Portugal

(source: IVV Yearbook 2011)

 

Register of Viticultural Land in Hectares

(source: IVV yearbook 2011 as at 31.07.2010)

Wine Region

VQPRD*

Total

Minho 29.388 31.010
Trás‑os‑Montes 41.358 68.765
Beiras 12.555 56.663
Lisboa 1.505 24.799
Tejo 1.496 18.743
Península de Setúbal 2.057 9.210
Alentejo 8.989 23.490
Algarve 136 1.983
Mainland Portugal
97.485 234.663
The Azores 228 1.700
Madeira 497 1.423
Total 98.210 237.786

(*) Sustained areas of production. Source: IVV, I.P.

 

Official designations applicable to viticultural regions

DO (Denominação de Origem [Designation of Origin]), DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada [Registered Designation of Origin]) or DOP (Denominação de Origem Protegida [Protected Designation of Origin]). Each one of these is a collective designation or appellation which applies to wine products with originality and individuality linked to a specific geographically‑defined region, or a traditional denomination (with collective registration) for wine products which have specific characteristics or qualities and which are subject to independent regulation and are authorised to carry the DOC label: VQPRD – Vinho de Qualidade Produzido em Região Determinada/Quality Wine Produced in a Specified Region; VLQPRD – Vinho Licoroso de Qualidade Produzido em Região Determinada/Quality Liqueur Wine Produced in a Specified Region); and VEQPRDVinho Espumante de Qualidade Produzido em Região Determinada/Quality Sparkling Wine Produced in a Specified Region.

The denomination IPR  (Indicação Proveniência Regulamentada/Indication of Regulated Provenance, or, region in the process of being registered as DOC) was revoked when all quality wine regions received DOC recognition in 2011.

IG ou IGP (Indicação Geográfica or Indicação Geográfica Protegida/Geographic Indication or Protected Geographic Indication). IGP is a collective designation applicable to wines of a specific region, the name of which appears on the label; registration is subject to specific regulations. These wines are authorised to be labelled as “Vinho Regional” (regional wine). (Collective registration applies.)

Vinho is the term used for any wine which does not fall into any of the above categories.

Wine region: designated by law as distinct from, but subordinate to, the DO region and the IG region. In the majority of cases the DO is derived in terms of geography and grapevine variety according to the optimum conditions of terroir compared to regional wine from the same region.

Subregion: Where is it legally recognised, the subregion may be mentioned on the label in addition to the DOP region, although there are some exceptions to this rule.

 

Important: The boundaries of the various municipal subdivisions within DO regions and extra‑territorial properties pertinent to the designation are still the subject of deliberation and therefore may require rectification in the future.

 

Note:  The abbreviations of all official designations have been retained in Portuguese, as have all place names and the names of all the regions to which such designations refer.

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