Alvarelhão

Infobox grape variety
name = Alvarelhão


caption =
species = "Vitis vinifera"
also_called = (more)
origin = Portugal
hazards =
regions = Douro, Dão
notable_wines = Dão

Alvarelhão is a red wine grape grown in northern Portugal.

History

Alvarelhão must have originated in northern Portugal, but little is known of its ancestry. DNA studies have shown some similarity to Esgana Cão. [M.S. Lopes, K.M. Sefc, E. Eiras Dias, H. Steinkellner, M. Laimer da Câmara Machado, A. da Câmara Machado [http://www.springerlink.com/content/ub48mqw0qe7phqap/fulltext.pdf The use of microsatellites for germplasm management in a Portuguese grapevine collection] Theor Appl Genet (1999) 99:733–739 ]

Distribution and Wines

Portugal

In Portugal there are 470 hectares of either Alvarelhão or the grape called Brancelho. [] It is blended into red wine in the Dão region. It is said to be part of the port wine blend in the Douro, although it is not mentioned on the IVDP website as one of the main 11 red grapes of the Douro. [cite web | last = | first = | authorlink = | coauthors = | title = Vine's Cultivation | work = | publisher = Instituto dos Vinhos do Douro e Porto | date = | url = http://www.ivp.pt/pagina.asp?codPag=17&codSeccao=4&idioma=1 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-04-29 ]

USA

There have been some experiments with the port grapes in California. It is possible that some vines have been misidentified, as the University of California, Davis clone Alvarelhão FPMS 02 has now been confirmed as a Touriga Nacional.

Vine and Viticulture

Having evolved in the Dão, the vine is both rough and hardy, having strong defenses against temperature extremes and inclement weather.

ynonyms

Alvarelhao, Alvarello, Locaia, Pilongo and Varancelha.cite web | last =Maul | first =E. | authorlink = | coauthors = Eibach, R. | title = Vitis International Variety Catalogue | work = | publisher = Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity (IBV) of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Deichmanns Aue 29, 53179 Bonn, Germany | date = 1999-06-00 | url = http://www.genres.de/idb/vitis/ | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-04-29]

German sources, including , refer to a Brancelho grape used in Vinho Verde whose synonyms include Alvarelhão Ceitão, Varancelho and Verancelha. It is not certain that this is the same grape as Alvarelhão.

ee also

* Portuguese wine
*
*

Notes and references

Further reading

* Robinson, Jancis "Vines, Grapes & Wines" Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1857329996

External links

* [http://www.ivp.pt/ IVDP]