Grape varieties
Portuguese grape varieties: more than 250 of their own
Portugal counts more than 250 indigenous grape varieties, and most of its vineyards are still planted with grapes you will hardly find outside the Iberian Peninsula. That makes Portuguese wine recognisably different, and sometimes a little hard to navigate. This page shows you which grapes really matter, where they grow and how they taste.
Why does Portugal have so many grapes of its own?
For a long time Portugal stayed somewhat outside international wine fashion. While Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay spread elsewhere, Portuguese growers kept planting what they knew. Dozens of varieties often grew side by side in the same vineyard and were picked and fermented together. You can still find such field blends in old vineyards in the Douro and the Dão. We believe in that tradition: why the old mixed vineyard is modern again.
From the 1980s onwards, selection became stricter and new vineyards were more often planted variety by variety. Even so, Portugal stayed loyal to its own grapes. The list of most planted varieties contains only a handful of foreigners: Syrah, Caladoc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet, a French crossing that found a second home in the Alentejo.
To keep things clear, Portugal puts forward eleven grapes as flagships. For reds these are Touriga Nacional, Aragonez (Tinta Roriz), Touriga Franca, Trincadeira (Tinta Amarela), Castelão and Baga. For whites they are Alvarinho, Arinto, Fernão Pires (Maria Gomes), Loureiro and Encruzado.
The most planted grapes in Portugal
The Instituto da Vinha e do Vinho (IVV) records how many hectares are planted with each grape. These are the twenty largest, out of a total of almost 170,000 ha.
| # | Grape | Colour | Hectares | Share | Mainly in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Aragonez Tinta Roriz, Tempranillo | red | 16,706 | 10.0% | Douro, Alentejo, Beira Interior, Dão |
| 2 | Touriga Franca | red | 15,128 | 9.0% | Douro, where it covers almost a third of the vineyards |
| 3 | Touriga Nacional | red | 11,528 | 6.9% | Douro, Dão, Alentejo |
| 4 | Fernão Pires Maria Gomes | white | 10,854 | 6.5% | Tejo, Lisboa, Bairrada |
| 5 | Alicante Bouschet | red | 8,822 | 5.3% | Alentejo, Lisboa, Tejo |
| 6 | Castelão Periquita | red | 8,191 | 4.9% | Península de Setúbal, Lisboa, Tejo |
| 7 | Syrah | red | 6,467 | 3.9% | Alentejo, Lisboa |
| 8 | Arinto Pedernã | white | 6,288 | 3.8% | Vinho Verde, Alentejo, Lisboa |
| 9 | Loureiro | white | 6,184 | 3.7% | Vinho Verde |
| 10 | Trincadeira Tinta Amarela | red | 5,489 | 3.3% | Alentejo, Douro, Tejo |
| 11 | Baga | red | 4,608 | 2.7% | Bairrada, where it covers almost half of the vineyards |
| 12 | Alvarinho Albariño | white | 3,734 | 2.2% | Vinho Verde, especially Monção e Melgaço |
| 13 | Vinhão Sousão | red | 3,689 | 2.2% | Vinho Verde, Douro |
| 14 | Síria Roupeiro, Códega | white | 3,557 | 2.1% | Beira Interior, Douro, Alentejo |
| 15 | Tinta Barroca | red | 3,077 | 1.8% | Douro |
| 16 | Caladoc | red | 2,721 | 1.6% | Lisboa |
| 17 | Malvasia Fina Boal | white | 2,182 | 1.3% | Douro, Távora-Varosa, Dão |
| 18 | Rabigato | white | 1,911 | 1.1% | Douro |
| 19 | Viosinho | white | 1,766 | 1.1% | Douro |
| 20 | Jaen Mencía | red | 1,747 | 1.0% | Dão, where it is the most planted grape |
Source: IVV, most used grape varieties on the mainland, 2025 (Madeira and the Azores not included). About 19% of the vineyard area is planted with other varieties.
What stands out?
- Red dominates. The three largest grapes are red, and together they cover a quarter of the vineyards.
- The best known is not the largest. Aragonez, the Spanish Tempranillo, is number one. Touriga Franca, the workhorse of the Douro, even comes ahead of the more famous Touriga Nacional.
- Fernão Pires is the largest white grape, mainly in the Tejo, Lisboa and the Bairrada (where it is called Maria Gomes). Alvarinho, the best-known white grape, only comes twelfth.
- Every region has its own hero. Baga covers almost half of the Bairrada, Castelão more than 40% of the Setúbal Peninsula, Loureiro a quarter of the Vinho Verde.
- Some stars are tiny. Encruzado, the white pearl of the Dão, does not make the list: only about 670 ha are planted.
Featured grapes
We wrote a page on each of these grapes, with what you need to know and the wines from our range.
And Madeira?
Madeira falls outside the figures above, and works differently too. Most Madeira is made from Tinta Negra. On top of that, there are four white grapes that traditionally also indicate a style, from dry to sweet: Sercial, Verdelho, Boal and Malvasia. Read more on our page about Madeira.
Frequently asked questions about Portuguese grapes
How many grape varieties does Portugal have?
According to the IVV, more than 250 indigenous varieties. The official list of grapes that may be planted for wine is even longer, as it also includes foreign varieties.
What is the most planted grape in Portugal?
Aragonez, also called Tinta Roriz. With almost 16,700 ha (2025) it covers about ten per cent of the vineyards, mainly in the Douro and the Alentejo.
Are Tinta Roriz, Aragonez and Tempranillo the same grape?
Yes. In the north it is called Tinta Roriz, in the south Aragonez, and in Spain Tempranillo.
Why do many Portuguese labels not mention a grape?
Because a lot of Portuguese wine is a blend, sometimes of dozens of varieties from one old vineyard. The region and the winemaker then tell you more about the taste than a single grape name. On our product pages you will find which grapes are in the wine, where we know.
Plantings per grape: IVV, castas mais utilizadas 2025 (ivv.gov.pt). Flagship grapes: ViniPortugal. Background: The Oxford Companion to Wine, via JancisRobinson.com.