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Earlier this year, Portugal renamed the “Estremadura” wine region after its capital, officially naming it the Lisbon wine region, or the região de Lisboa.

The Lisbon region is home to our wineries Vidigal Wines and Caves Bonifácio

In April, the Ministry of Agriculture published a decree stating that wines from the former region of Estremadura will be given the Geographical Indication “Lisbon” . The Regional Wine Commission (CVR) proposed the name change in order to boost the region’s economy, hoping to increase foreign wine sales. The 30,000-hectare region produces an estimated 18 million bottles per year, of which about half are exported.

Not only do the CVR want to increase the ‘image and quality of the wines’, but they also want to increase the ‘percentage of certified wines’. Studies have concluded that changing the name to Lisbon would give the wines more notoriety and would give consumers a better reference as to where the wines are located. They also hoped that by renaming the region, there would be less confusion between the wine regions of Portugal’s Estremadura and Spain’s Extremadura .

The region has been making great strides towards world-class wine production and we are proud to say that many of our Lisbon wines, such as Vidigal Reserva and Senhor do Alto have garnered numerous international awards in recent years.

Olá amigos!

Coming straight from the horse’s mouth, Portugal has a lot to offer the world in its winemaking industry. For starters, Portugal is one of the top wine producing countries in the world – there are over one million acres of vines in over eight different wine regions that generate some of Portugal’s top wines, including the famous Port and Madeira wines.

Port is made in the Douro valley in northern Portugal, which is the third oldest defined and protected wine region in the world . Around 30,000 growers in the Douro are involved in the process of growing grapes to sell for the production of Port. What makes Port so special is the addition of Aguardente (a neutral grape spirit) which is used to take away the fermentation of the wine, but used to keep the grape’s natural sugars to increase the alcohol content.

Madeira, on the other hand, has a special aging process called estufagem that sets it aside from other wines. This process heats the wine up to around 120°F during maturation to age it, giving it a brown, caramel color and a mellower taste. The aging process can last from 3 months to 20 years, depending how you age the Madeira. Another interesting fact is that Madeira wine can last up to 150 years, making it one of the longest lasting wines if it is properly sealed.

If only horses had that kind of a lifespan…

Quinta da Aveleda Vinho Verde (only $8.99) continues to garner awards and recognition for its crisp, fresh taste and amazing quality. Watch the video and find out why!

As a top Vinho Verde, it goes perfectly with seafood or past and pairs particularly well with shellfish and oysters. It is a light and slightly effervescent wine that can be served with a light dinner just as well as with lunch. Serve chilled.