 |
Dão
Demarcated in 1908, the Dão is an historic red wine producing region centered around the town of Viseu and encircled by sheltering mountains. Renowned on the export market for its big hearty wines, the Dão had for decades been dominated by cooperative cellars rather than private companies. In fact, between the 1950’s and the mid 1980’s cooperatives held a virtual monopoly in the production of the region’s wines as laws mandated that virtually all wines made at individual quintas be sold in bulk to shippers. Fortunately this situation has been reversed, and although cooperatives still produce 70% of the Dão’s wines, today more than 20 quintas bottle their own production. In this mountainous, rugged terrain, protected from Atlantic rains and wind, many of the vines are bush trained low to the earth. Soils are poor, mostly sandy granite, with some schist. Weather in the summer is generally dry and mild. Dão reds tend to be concentrated and nuanced wines, which is partly a function of the region’s predominantly older vines, but there is a great range of diversity in style and fruit expression. Typical grape varietals in this region include Touriga Nacional, Tinta Roriz, and Alfrochiero.
Wineries in this region:
Casa de Santar
|
| |
