This episode wraps up Portugal and is all about reading coastal proximity, soil type, and denomination choice as intentional levers, not background trivia. Track how the Serra de Montejunto splits Lisboa into Atlantic-exposed freshness versus sheltered ripeness; how Setúbal’s Castelão changes shape depending on warm sandy plains versus cooler clay-limestone slopes; and how Tejo’s quality shift is literally engineered by moving away from fertile riverbank alluvial soils toward less fertile north/south sites after EU-driven restructuring. Keep naming the “why”: why producers choose VR over DOC (flexibility + recognizable region name), why certain grapes fit certain sites, and how those choices translate into fruit profile, body, acidity, tannin handling, and ultimately pricing tiers (inexpensive/mid for high-volume fruity wines, with a growing premium tier where site selection and tighter production choices concentrate quality).

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