You can travel the wine world without leaving Portugal. This is because although Portugal is one of the countries with the largest number of native grape varieties identified and still in production, foreign varieties have been imported and over time have become native or widely used in each wine regions.
In terms of white varieties, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay are probably the most widely planted in the world and undoubtedly the most famous.
In the so-called new world wines, the tradition is for the wines to be essentially mono varietal, i.e. from a single grape variety, and some say that this is the best way to savour the characteristics of each variety.
In the old world, on the other hand, as a result of many years of winemaking tradition, as is the case in Portugal, where wine production dates back to at least the time of the Roman Empire, wines are usually blends of several regional grape varieties.
With globalization and the arrival of new markets, producers have had to adapt to the tastes of these new customers and even include international varieties in their blends, launching single varietals of native varieties but also the famous Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.
Nowadays these two grape varieties are totally adapted to the climate and soil of each region, producing unique wines that are quite different from wines from warmer climates. This is because both grape varieties are quite plastic, to the point where they appear completely different in the glass, depending on where on the globe each wine originates.
Surely you like Portuguese white wines, and probably being a wine enthusiast, you've already tasted the great international Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc whites. Why not now try wines from these grape varieties but from your favorite regions in Portugal?
From a long list of single varietal white wines from these two French grape varieties, we've selected those we consider to be the most appetizing and the best examples from each of Portugal's wine regions.
