Buy Bairrada wine: Baga, Bical and sparkling from the Atlantic coast

The Bairrada at a glance

A small, fragmented region

Bairrada is part of the vast Beiras region and, together with the Dão, its most important DOC. From the northernmost vineyards in Águeda to the southernmost plots in Souselas is barely 30 km as the crow flies.

History

Wine was already being made in Bairrada in the 10th century, after the Moors were driven out. In the early 18th century, the region's powerful, dark wine was used for blending with port. That proved fatal: when the Marquis of Pombal imposed strict rules on port production in 1756, he ordered all the vines in Bairrada to be pulled up.

Only at the end of the 19th century were more vineyards planted again, mainly for sparkling wine. For the reds, the revival only came at the end of the 20th century. The regime that governed Portugal for a long time mainly encouraged trade through co-operatives, which suited the many small growers of fragmented Bairrada, with more than 2,000 owners. So production was long dominated by a handful of companies, which rarely helps quality.

That very situation allowed young, enterprising winemakers such as Filipa Pato to secure grapes from old vineyards and start their own projects without owning the land. They pay a higher price per kilo than the co-operatives, on condition that the vineyards are farmed according to their principles.

Bairrada looks set to remain a niche region: the fragmentation rules out large projects with big marketing budgets. Yet the small producers, recently united as 'Baga Friends', show that many small projects together can form a fine whole.

Climate and soil

The foundations for quality are ideal. The Atlantic is barely 20 km away, and the vineyards lie in the hills below the Serra do Caramulo (1,075 m) and the Serra do Buçaco (547 m). The cool ocean air shapes the climate: in July and August the average stays below 22 °C, and in September it drops another degree. In the hottest years, peaks of 40 °C occur, but that is exceptional. The large difference between day and night matters: the cool nights ensure slower, even ripening. Sand and clay-limestone alternate in the soil.

Baga: Portugal's Nebbiolo

The main black grape, Baga, performs best on the heavier clay-limestone soils. Its thin skin makes it prone to rot in the damp Atlantic climate, but when fully ripe it makes fantastic wines. It once accounted for 90% of plantings; today it is 40%. That is a good thing, because too much Baga was planted on poor soils, giving the grape an undeserved bad reputation.

Baga has firm acidity and tannins and recalls Pinot Noir and certainly Nebbiolo. It can go two ways. Gentle crushing and soft extraction give lighter reds with low alcohol and plenty of freshness; winemakers increasingly return to old terracotta amphorae for this. The other route is generous extraction from the skins. That needs a good vintage, since unripe tannins give little pleasure, but the result is highly structured wine full of potential. Such wines do need long, patient bottle ageing. An old, mature Baga shares the greatness of its illustrious peers from Burgundy and Piedmont.

Other permitted black varieties include Alfrocheiro, Bastardo, Castelão, Jaen, Touriga Nacional, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah and Merlot. For white wine, growers use Arinto, Bical, Cercial, Cercialinho, Fernão Pires, Rabo de Ovelha and Chardonnay. The international varieties were added to the appellation in 2003; whether they add much is open to question.

Sparkling wine

While the quality of the white and red wines has risen enormously, traditional-method espumante still holds an important place, with equally outstanding sparkling wines.

For comparison: Bairrada has 9,300 ha producing 175,000 hl a year. Burgundy has 27,188 ha for 1,400,000 hl, Bordeaux 120,000 ha for 6,000,000 hl.

Our Bairrada producers

Filipa Pato & William Wouters

From Dinâmica Baga and Bical to Post Quercus and Nossa Calcário.
About Filipa Pato · Nossa Calcário · Dinâmica

Quinta das Bágeiras

From the classic branco and Reserva to Garrafeira, Avô Fausto and Fogueira, plus sparkling.
All Quinta das Bágeiras wines

Niepoort in Bairrada

Gonçalves Faria in red and white, and Poeirinho Garrafeira.
Gonçalves Faria

Buçaco

The legendary wines of the Palácio do Buçaco, in red, white and rosé, also in magnum.
All Buçaco wines

More Bairrada

Also Quinta da Vacariça, Miguel Silva, Flos Castanea, C2, São João and Drink Me from the Nat' Cool series.
View the full range

Read more about Quinta da Vacariça and Caves São João.

View all Bairrada wines in the webshop

Delivery and collection

We deliver throughout Belgium. Shipping costs €15.73 (incl. VAT) and is free from €175. Prefer to collect? You can pick up your order at our shop in Roeselare, Kaaistraat 62A. More about delivery

Frequently asked questions about Bairrada wine

Where can you buy Bairrada wine in Belgium?

Since 1999, The Portugal Collection has specialised in Portuguese wine and imports Bairrada directly from producers such as Filipa Pato & William Wouters, Quinta das Bágeiras and Niepoort. Order online with delivery throughout Belgium, or collect in Roeselare.

What kind of wine is made from Baga?

Baga has firm acidity and tannins, like Nebbiolo and Pinot Noir. Soft extraction gives light, fresh red wine; generous extraction in a good year gives powerful, complex wines that need long ageing.

Does Bairrada also make sparkling wine?

Yes. Traditional-method sparkling wine has been important here since the late 19th century, and excellent espumantes are made.

What is the difference between Bairrada and Dão?

Both claim the title 'Burgundy of Portugal'. Bairrada is closer to the ocean, has clay-limestone and sandy soils and revolves around Baga. The Dão lies inland on granite soils, sheltered by mountains.

Discover our other Portuguese wine regions too: Douro, Dão, Vinho Verde, Alentejo, Lisboa and Porto.