Bucelas DOC - Grapes and Winemaking

Grapes and Winemaking

The principal grapes of the Bucelas region includes Arinto and Esgana Cao. In the Victorian age, Bucelas' association as "Portuguese Hock" lead many in the wine industry to assume that its primary grape, Arinto, was somehow related to German wine grape Riesling. Ampelographers in the late 20th century were eventually able to disprove any relation between the two grapes. A characteristic of Arinto and its blending partner Esgana Cao, a name loosely translated to mean dog strangler, is their ability to retain high levels of acidity even in the warm sub-Mediterranean climate near Portugal's coast.

In recent years, Bucelas winemakers have been experimenting with different winemaking techniques including production of late harvest and sparkling wines made according to the traditional method.