250 indigenous varieties plus a handful of international; different names for the same variety, named after animals, people, and often hard to pronounce; field blends in a small, fractured vineyard ownership; maritime and continental climates: for such a small country, Portuguese wine is hard to pin down, but an understanding of the varieties helps. Here's an overview of some of the major white and black varieties and the regions they're grown in to gain a sense of Portuguese wine.

Portuguese Grape Varieties

An Englishman in California soaking up the sun, I am a WSET Diploma graduate and Certified WSET Educator. I blog about wine, teach it at all levels, and drink plenty of it. Follow me on twitter @mattswineworld or check out my website: matthewsworldofwineanddrink.com

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Interview with Rui Lucas of Prior Lucas in Bairrada, Portugal. It's a region heavily influenced by the Atlantic Ocean, and therefore cooler and wetter than other areas further inland. Baga is the main variety, well-suited to the humid climate, producing tannic, high-acid, ageworthy wines. There's also sparkling wine made, which we talk about in this episode. Bairrada is an interesting, very individual region!

https://priorlucas.pt/

Bairrada: Interview with Rui Lucas of Prior Lucas

Interview with Peter Andrews of Culture Wine Co, who's importing South African wine into California. Topics covered include Pinotage; Mediterranean varieties; Sauvignon Blanc; the regionality of South Africa; innovative winemakers; racial diversity; and future trends for South African wine.

Culture Wine Co & Peter Andrews: South Africa

The Michigan wine scene is relatively new, growing in the last few years. I speak to Drew Perry of Simpson Family Estates, who started in 1980—dicsussing the growing conditions, the grape varieties, and the wines of the emerging industry.

Michigan

Gamay: a high-yielding variety associated with youthful, fruity wine but which, in the right growing conditions, makes wonderful, structured wines. This episode explores the areas where Gamay is grown: Beaujolais of course as well as Loire, Savoie, Lorraine, Switzerland, the US, and New Zealand.

Gamay

Winemaking in Armenia goes back at least 6,000 years, one of the starting points of viticulture. But it's only in the last ten to fifteen years that there has been a renaissance in quality wine. Vahe Keushguerian has been at the forefront of this renaissance, both in his own projects and for other fledgling wineries. In this episode, he explains all about Armenian wine—history, geography, grape varieties, styles of wine, and where the industry is heading.

Portuguese Grape Varieties

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