History of Portugal

2000 B.C. Kingdom of Tartessos to Iberian Celts

Wine, produced from vines planted in the Tejo and Sado valleys, served as a currency of exchange, fostering the culture of the vine and making it an important asset in the culture and life of the people.

2nd century BC - Romans

The Romanisation of the Peninsula led to the consolidation of wine production in Portugal, since Rome's development caused consumption to skyrocket, demanding ever greater production that the local vines couldn't handle. It was up to the colonies to meet the demand and guarantee that wine flowed, abundantly, all over the Roman Empire.

8th century - Arabs until the Christian Reconquest in the 12th century

Between the 8th and 12th centuries, a time marked by Arab influence and a culture that strictly forbade the consumption of fermented beverages, vine growing and wine production were curiously maintained, benefiting from the benevolent and protective spirit with which the Arabs regarded farmers.

1143 - Portugal

The foundation of Portugal, in 1143, and the conquest of the whole of Portuguese territory from the Moors, in 1249, allowed the establishment of religious, military and monastic orders, which became active centres of agricultural colonisation. The important role played by wine in religious ceremonies encouraged the growing of vines and wine became a natural part of medieval man's diet.

15th Century - Discoveries and the conquest of Ceuta

Transported in the caravels, essentially as ballast, the fortified wines would age inside the barrels scattered around the holds of the galleys, where time, heat and the rocking of the sea would perform a small miracle, offering, on the return, a wine of unequalled quality, considered precious and sold at a price of gold. They called it "Roda" or "Torna Viagem" wine and it was with it that the Portuguese started to get to know and work with the ageing of wine.

17th Century- Maritime routes

In the mid-16th century, Lisbon was the biggest centre of consumption and distribution of wine in the empire, and Portuguese wine reached the four corners of the world. In the 17th century, a series of works of a geographical nature and travel accounts allow us to understand the historical path of the Portuguese winegrowing areas, the prestige of its wines and the importance of consumption and export volumes.

1703 - Methuen Treaty

In 1703, with the agreement to regulate trade between Portugal and England, established in the Methuen Treaty, Portuguese wine exports experienced a new phase of expansion.

1756 - Douro Demarcated Region

On 10 September 1756, by royal charter, the Companhia Geral da Agricultura das Vinhas do Alto Douro was created with the aim of disciplining the production and trade of the region's wines and establishing the demarcation of the region, which did in fact happen.

1807-10 - French Invasions

The 19th century marked a dark period for winemaking in Portugal. Initially by the devastation caused by the oidium disease, followed by the phylloxera plague, which initially appeared in the Douro region in 1856, quickly spreading to the whole country, devastating most of the winegrowing regions.

1874 - Great London Exhibition

Once this threat was overcome, Portuguese wine production started to recover and Portuguese wines returned to the limelight at the great London Exhibition of 1874.

1907 - Regulation of the wine sector

At the beginning of the 20th century, the process of officially regulating various other Portuguese appellations of origin began. Madeira, Moscatel de Setúbal, Carcavelos, Dão, Colares and Vinho Verde joined Port Wine and the table wines of the Douro.

1910

Implantation of the Republic

1926 - Estado Novo

With the Estado Novo (1926-1974), the Federação dos Vinicultores do Centro e Sul de Portugal was created (1933), whose main role was to help regulate the market.

1937 - National Wine Board

It was succeeded in 1937 by the National Wine Board, a wider body with a strong cooperative component, whose intervention took into account the balance between supply and outlets, the evolution of production and the storage of surpluses in years of high production, so as to guarantee compensation in years of scarcity.

2000 to 2010

The Regional Winegrowing Commissions (private, interprofessional associations governed by statutes) were then set up. By taking on responsibility for defending the Appellations of Origin and Geographical Indications and applying and monitoring compliance with existing regulations, they play a fundamental role in increasing and developing the quality and prestige of Portuguese wines. 31 Appellations of Origin and 12 Geographical Indications are currently recognised and protected in Portugal.