We've arrived in the center of Portugal at an area steeped in tradition, Bairrada. This is where Portugal's best sparkling wines are produced and is home to the famous wine cellars, where thousands of bottles of base wine rest. After the classic champagne process, they give rise to sparkling wines of various categories, depending on their style of sweetness and time in the cellar.
The basis of the region's classic sparkling wines are the red grape variety Baga and the white grape varieties Bical, Cercial and Arinto, which in this region goes by the name of Maria Gomes.
The Baga grape variety is the region's ex-libris, and while in the past it gave rise to more raw and tannic wines that needed time in the bottle to be tamed, nowadays Baga wines are fresh and have good acidity due to the Atlantic climate, ready to be savored due to their very gastronomic profile.
As for the whites, the combination of the region's three most typical grape varieties results in very fruity wines, with the very typical acidity of the Arinto variety, which evolve very well in the bottle.
We have quite a few novelties in this region. We'd like to highlight the old wines that Adega de Cantanhede has just released, all 100% Baga, including a 1995 red and a Blanc de Noirs white.
As for reds from the Baga grape variety, special mention should be made of the Reserva and Grande Reserva from Ataíde Semedo, the Lote D from Niepoort and the Outrora Raro, all collector's wines that should be included in any luxury wine cellar.
For those looking for excellent whites, those from Dirk Niepoort's Quinta de Baixo are a must, and always innovating, Caracolete and Ururabo have now been released.
Another reference producer in the region is Mário Sérgio at Quinta das Bágeiras. Over the years he has contributed to promoting Bairrada and the Baga grape variety, and recently launched new wines produced under the Aldeia da Fogueira brand in honor of the village where it all began.
We end by highlighting the Quinta da Lagoa Velha in the Anadia area, a third-generation producer that we have just started working with and whose portfolio includes whites, reds and classic-style sparkling wines that we highly recommend.
Take a look at the selection of new products from Bairrada and if you haven't tried a classic-style sparkling wine or a red wine from the Baga variety yet, now is the time.
