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Wine Regions

Bairrada

Bairrada is considered to be the main region of the country regarding the production of sparkling wines.

Bairrada
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The Bairrada region, located in Beira Litoral, between Aveiro and Coimbra, right in the centre of Portugal, is a flat region which stretches along the coastline, with a typically Atlantic climate, with mild and rainy winters and summers softened by the winds coming from the sea.
Information
The transformation of Bairrada into a quality winemaking region dates back to the 19th century, although the production has existed since the 10th century. The first practical result of the investments made at that time, for improving the cultivation and winemaking techniques, was the creation of sparkling wine in 1890.
Bairrada was one of the first Portuguese regions to make sparkling wine, and it is still, today, considered the most important region of the country regarding the production of this wine. The cool and humid climate and the clay-limestone and sandy soils favour its making, providing grapes of high acidity and low alcohol content, resulting in fresh, aromatic wines with excellent taste. 
The Bairrada region is also rich in the production of white and red wines made from traditional and international grape varieties. The predominant grape variety of this region is Baga, commonly planted on clay soils. The wines made from this grape variety are acid and full of colour, however, they are well-balanced and have high longevity.
The Bairrada wines and sparkling wines are perfect to accompany the gastronomic specialities of this region, such as the suckling pig, the fresh fish dishes and seafood, as well as the finest conventual sweets.
Wine Tourism
Wine Tourism
The Bairrada Region provides its visitors with a wide range of experiences, regarding the wine as well as the local food tasting and the cultural and natural richness present throughout the whole region. Visiting Bairrada is an opportunity to combine the beach sun and the mountain freshness.
The beautiful beaches of this region, such as Costa Nova, Barra and Vagueira, invite you to enjoy a seaside program whereas in the mountain, in places such as Curia and Luso, you can find some of the most famous thermal spas of the country. 
It is in Anadia, at the heart of Bairrada, that you can find the Bairrada Wine Museum, where you can see several exhibitions about the wine culture of this region, or in its wine cellar, taste some of the best Bairrada wines. 
In addition to the wonderful experiences of wine tourism and for nature lovers, there are other places to visit, such as the National Forest of Buçaco, where several botanical species can be found and Pateira de Fermentelos, where you can observe water birds.
From the region's gastronomy, duly accompanied by the regional wines, the fish soups and the starters with seafood, the grilled or baked fish dishes, the meat dishes as the duck, the goat stew and the famous Mealhada suckling pig roasted in wood-fired oven are to emphasize. Regarding the sweets, worth tasting ones are the Ovos Moles of Aveiro (sweet egg yolks), Tentúgal queijadas (egg yolk and flour sweet), the pastries from Santa Clara in Coimbra or Lorvão conventual sweets.
  • Portugal By Wine - Wine Tourism in Portugal
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