Portugal makes brilliant wine. Why aren’t we drinking more of it?

Did you miss me last week?

I’ve just returned from “researching” Lisbon’s restaurants and wine bars.

I say research. It was really just me, Em, and a lot of vinho.

The sacrifices I make for your Saturday morning entertainment!

First off let me tell you; Portuguese wine is hugely underrated, and I’m here to fix that.

Usually when I bang on about Portuguese wine, I get polite nods and the occasional "oh, is that just Vinho Verde?" Unfortunately, most people's experience with Portuguese wine begins and ends with that slightly fizzy, refreshing Vinho Verde that's become the unofficial drink of British summer gardens. Or the, ubiquitous in the 1980s, Mateus Rose, which, I have to admit, I love.

Both are great, don't get me wrong, but they barely scratch the surface. Portugal has been making exceptional wine for more than eight centuries, developing grape varieties and techniques that are utterly distinctive. The problem isn't that Portuguese wine is unknown - it's that it's been overshadowed by more famous neighbours while quietly getting on with making some of Europe's most characterful wines.

The Revelation Moment

My Portuguese wine awakening happened almost 20 years ago, in a tiny restaurant in Porto, where the waiter - clearly unimpressed by my “phrase book” Portuguese and my pointing at random words on the menu - simply brought me "something good" when I asked for wine recommendations. What arrived was a bottle I'd never heard of, from a grape I couldn't pronounce, costing less than a half decent bottle of Cab Sav back home.

It was extraordinary. Rich, complex, utterly distinctive - the sort of wine that makes you stop talking mid-sentence and actually pay attention and makes you immediately Google "how much does it cost to ship wine from Portugal" on your phone.

That wine was Touriga Nacional, Portugal's flagship grape, and it had been quietly making exceptional wine in the Douro Valley since before I knew wine existed. Sometimes the best discoveries happen when you give up trying to be clever and just trust someone who knows their stuff.

More recently, another trip to Lisbon opened my eyes to the wines of the Lisboa region itself. While most people associate Portuguese wine with the northern regions, Lisbon has its own thriving wine scene that's perfectly suited to the city's excellent seafood restaurants. Nothing beats sitting by the Tagus with a glass of local white and a plate of fresh grilled fish.

The Geography of Character

Portugal is essentially one long wine region disguised as a country. From the granite soils of Vinho Verde country in the north to the schist terraces of the Douro, down through the limestone of Dão and the sandy soils of the Alentejo, every region produces something distinctly different.

The Douro Valley deserves particular mention - not just because it's stunningly beautiful (though it is), but because it's home to some of the most challenging viticulture in Europe. These terraced vineyards carved into schist cliffs make working in the vineyard look like an extreme sport. (Schist is a metamorphic rock that shows visible flat grains that lie like sheets on top of each other, this means it is easily split into thin flakes or plates.) The effort required to make wine here is extraordinary, and thankfully, you can taste that effort in every bottle.

Then there's the Dão, which produces some of Portugal's most elegant wines in a region that's absolutely gorgeous. The wines have this lovely mineral backbone that comes from granite soils, creating reds that are powerful but restrained.

The Grape Varieties You've Never Heard Of

Here's where Portugal gets really interesting. While the rest of the wine world was busy planting the same handful of international varieties everywhere, Portugal just carried on with its collection of indigenous grapes that have been growing there for centuries. It's wine's equivalent of refusing to join social media - stubbornly sticking with what works while everyone else chases the latest trend.

Touriga Nacional is the star - think of it as Portugal's national treasure that happens to make wine. It produces deeply coloured, intensely flavoured wines with this distinctive floral character that's unlike anything else. When it's good, it's spectacular.

Touriga Franca is the more approachable cousin - still complex, but with softer edges and more immediate appeal. Tinta Roriz (which is actually Tempranillo, but don't tell the Portuguese) adds structure and spice.

For whites, Alvarinho from Vinho Verde can be absolutely stunning - and I mean the serious stuff, not just the light, fizzy wine most people know. Good Alvarinho has this beautiful combination of richness and minerality, with a slight salinity that makes it ideal with seafood. It's particularly brilliant with anything involving shellfish or salt cod. Antão Vaz from the Alentejo produces rich, full-bodied whites that can surprise you with their complexity.

The beauty of these varieties is that they're completely adapted to Portuguese conditions. They've had centuries to figure out how to handle the heat, the granite, the schist, the Atlantic influence. They're not trying to be something else - they're authentically Portuguese.

The Port Connection

Of course, we can't talk about Portuguese wine without mentioning Port, which is probably the only Portuguese wine most people can name. Port is brilliant - don't get me wrong - but it's also created this odd situation where Portugal is famous for fortified wine while its table wines remain largely unknown.

It’s like just being known for your Christmas cake when your weekday dinners are just as good.

Many of the best Portuguese table wine producers also make Port, and you can see the influence. There's a richness and concentration in Portuguese reds that comes from this heritage of making intense, age-worthy wines.

The Value Proposition

Here's what really gets me excited about Portuguese wine: the prices. You can still buy genuinely excellent Portuguese wine for remarkably reasonable money.

A £15 bottle from the Douro or Dão will often outperform more expensive wines from famous regions. Not because other wines are overpriced, but because Portuguese wine remains undervalued by the market.

This won't last forever. Smart wine buyers are catching on, and prices are slowly climbing. But for now, Portugal offers exceptional value for anyone prepared to venture beyond the familiar.

Food Pairing Paradise

This is where Portuguese wine really shines. These wines were developed alongside Portuguese cuisine, and the pairing opportunities are endless.

Start with seafood - Portugal's Atlantic coastline means fish and shellfish feature heavily in the cuisine. A crisp Vinho Verde with grilled sardines is delicious, but don't stop there. Try a proper Alvarinho with bacalhau (salt cod) - the wine's mineral character and slight salinity complement the fish beautifully while cutting through the saltiness. I discovered this combination in Lisbon and it's become one of my favourite pairings.

For the famous bifana, a traditional Portuguese sandwich made with thin slices of pork that are marinated and simmered in a sauce of white wine, caramelised onion, garlic, and paprika. A young Douro red handles the richness effortlessly, while its natural acidity balances the sauce.

In Lisbon, the local whites work brilliantly with the city's excellent seafood restaurants. We had a Lisboa white with seafood cataplana (fish stew) – its Atlantic freshness mirrored the oceanic flavours in the dish.

Portuguese pork dishes are legendary, and the wines match perfectly. Roast pork with clams (porco à alentejana) pairs wonderfully with a full-bodied white from the Alentejo - the wine's richness complements the pork while its freshness works with the shellfish.

For cozido, the hearty stew that varies by region but always involves multiple meats and vegetables, you want an older Dão red. The wine's earthy character mirrors the rustic cooking, while its structure stands up to the rich broth.

Grilled meats are a Portuguese obsession. A Douro red with grilled lamb brings out the herbal notes in both wine and meat. The slight char from the grill echoes the toasty oak in the wine.

Portuguese cheeses range from mild and creamy to intense and pungent. Serra da Estrela, the famous sheep's cheese, is extraordinary with an aged Touriga Nacional - both have this complex, developed character that creates a wonderful match.

Even humble dishes sing with the right wine. Caldo verde, the potato, cabbage and chorizo stew, is transformed with a mineral-driven Vinho Verde. The wine's acidity cuts through the stew's richness while complementing the smoky sausage. The Hairy Bikers version of Caldo verde is one of my “go to” recipes. I’ve been making it for years, initially because of Dave Meyers’ superb instruction to slice the cabbage “finer than a hummingbird’s toenail clippings”.

And then there's Portuguese custard tarts (pastéis de nata) with a glass of aged tawny Port. Not technically table wine, but if you're in Portugal and don't try this combination, you're missing out on one of life's great pleasures.

Regional Styles Broken Down Douro: Powerful, structured reds with real aging potential. Think serious wine for serious occasions.  Best Riedel Glass Shape = Bordeaux / Cabernet Sauvignon. Dão: Elegant, mineral-driven reds and whites. Portugal's answer to Burgundy, if Burgundy were half the price.  Best Riedel Glass Shape = Burgundy / Pinot Noir. Alentejo: Rich, sun-soaked wines with immediate appeal. The sort of thing that makes you understand why people retire to Portugal.  Best Riedel Glass Shape = Chardonnay. Lisboa: Often overlooked but producing excellent wines just right for the capital's seafood-focused cuisine. The Atlantic influence creates fresh, mineral whites that are ideal with fish.  Best Riedel Glass Shape = Red - Bordeaux / Cabernet Sauvignon. White – Sauvignon Blanc.

Vinho Verde: Not just the light, fizzy stuff. The best examples, particularly single-varietal Alvarinho, are complex, mineral whites with real depth. Best Riedel Glass Shape = Sauvignon Blanc.

Bairrada: Traditional region producing age-worthy reds, often with a distinctive earthy character. Best Riedel Glass Shape = Syrah / Shiraz.

Start with producers like Quinta do Crasto, Niepoort, or Casa Ferreirinha in the Douro. In Dão, try wines from Quinta dos Roques or Alvaro Castro. For Vinho Verde, look for Quinta de Soalheiro or Anselmo Mendes.

Don't be put off by unfamiliar grape names or producers you've never heard of. That's half the fun of Portuguese wine - discovering something completely new that's actually been around longer than most wine regions you do know.

The Future is Portuguese

I have a feeling that Portuguese wine is about to have its moment. The quality has always been there, the terroir is exceptional, the grape varieties are unique, and the prices are still reasonable. International recognition is finally catching up with what the Portuguese have known for centuries.

Making the Leap

If you're used to drinking wines from the usual suspects - France, Italy, Spain - Portuguese wine requires a small leap of faith. The grape names are unfamiliar, the producers unknown, the styles distinctive.

But that's exactly what makes it exciting. In a wine world that sometimes feels like it's running out of surprises, Portugal offers genuine discovery. Every bottle is a small adventure, a chance to taste something you've never tried before.

And unlike some wine discoveries that turn out to be expensive disappointments, Portuguese wine delivers consistently. The combination of ideal climate, ancient grape varieties, and skilled winemaking creates wines that are both distinctive and reliably good.

So next time you're in the wine shop, skip past the Malbec and Pinot Grigio and head for the Portuguese section. Your palate - and your wallet - will thank you.

Thinking about it, I should probably try and track down that unimpressed Porto waiter from 20 years ago and thank him properly. His dismissive 'something good' recommendation is what sent me down this particular, delicious rabbit hole.

Though knowing Portuguese waiters, he probably just thinks I took far too long to figure out what was blindingly obvious!