June 22, 2025 - Wines of Portugal

On June 22, 2025, there were 40 AWS members and guests who enjoyed our excellent and educational presentation of “Wines of Portugal” presented by past chapter co-chair, Jay Davis. Jay provided information on several of Portugal’s wine producing areas with an emphasis on the Douro, one of the oldest demarcated wine regions in the world. Portugal is home to over 370 grape varieties, 250 of which are indigenous to the country. Its signature grape is Touriga Nacional. Once only known for its Port production, Portugal is now producing world-class unfortified wines. Portugal’s reluctance to follow trends by planting international grape varieties, and instead focusing on native grapes, has elevated Portuguese wines to a new level. Note the many native varietals listed below in the wines we tasted. Our tasting included two whites and four reds, and featured an exceptional 2018 Late Bottled Vintage Port that made Wine Spectator’s top 100 wines list.