Vinho Verde. Like no other wine in the world.
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Traditional Guiding System
One of the most typical characteristics of Portugal's Northwest landscape are the trellised vines that cover the pathways and the vines interlacing the trees in the edges of the fields. Most of the wine production still comes from this type of vines and its character is closely linked to the region's natural conditions, as it is with this form of guiding the vines.
There are other modern guiding systems (trellis, cross and string).
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The most traditional and old way of guiding the vine in the Vinho Verde region is the tall growing vine or "enforcado" vine. One to four vines are planted next to a tree, a chestnut tree, a poplar or a plane tree, where they grow freely, interlacing themselves with the tree's branches (which are intensely pruned to emphasise the vine). Those vines may reach huge proportions. They do not need a special space or manuring, and many times it is only necessary to prune them every two years, each one producing many baskets of grapes. However, the economy they seem to offer gives origin to low quality wines: the risk of diseases is high, the treatments are difficult, the grape's maturation is late and many times incomplete, the always low sugar content - and consequently low alcohol levels - and the picking done with the help of tall ladders can be dangerous. |
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It was common to stretch wires, up to 6-8 meters high, between the many trees planted on the edges of the fields, and let the vines climb them. Those are the stakes, resulting from a evolution and enhancement of the tall growing vines related with the dissemination of wire. Like the "enforcados", theses stakes are typical of a vinicultural production of intensive, non specialised agriculture, associated with many other cultures and taking advantages from a production that almost does not takes up any ground space and does not require much manual work. What was said about the "enforcado" also suits the tall growing vines. If the risk of catching diseases from the supporting trees is lower, the dangers involving picking and pruning, using the long ladders leaning against wires of low resistance, may be considered even bigger. Regarding quality, there are no significant differences between them. |
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The trellised vines or arbours are, in general, formed by iron or wood horizontal structures laid on trellis posts, usually of granite. Those structures are often seen over pathways, squares, public grounds, as water tanks and fountains, or in the edges of the fields, and more seldom in the continuous vineyard system (in this case they present a saw teeth shape, oblique and not parallel to the ground). In its common sense, this is a system that allows the full use of unproductive ground or the association of different cultures. As a matter of fact, it is common to grow potatoes under trellised vines in the edges of the fields or in a continuous vineyard system. |
