Bucelas DOC facts for kids
Bucelas (pronounced Boo-SELL-as) is a special wine region in Portugal. It's part of the larger Lisboa wine area. Bucelas has the highest wine classification in Portugal, called a Denominação de Origem Controlada (DOC). This means its wines meet strict quality rules.
The region is known for making white wines using a cool fermentation process. This helps the wines taste fresh and crisp. The vineyards here grow on loam soils, which are good for grapes.
Bucelas white wines became very popular in England during the Elizabethan era (when Queen Elizabeth I ruled) and again in the Victorian era (when Queen Victoria ruled). In London, people sometimes called them Portuguese hock because they tasted a bit like German Riesling wines from the Rhine river.
Sadly, in the 1900s, cities grew a lot around Bucelas. This "urban sprawl" meant many vineyards were replaced by buildings. Bucelas is located just north of Lisbon, Portugal's capital city.
History of Bucelas Wine
People have probably been growing grapes and making wine in Bucelas since Roman times. Long ago, during the Elizabethan era, Bucelas white wine was popular with the English. Some wine experts think it might have been a "fortified wine" then, meaning it had extra alcohol added. They also believe it could be the "Charneco" wine mentioned by William Shakespeare in his play Henry VI, Part 2. Charneco is a small village in the Bucelas region.
Later, Bucelas started making non-fortified white wines. British interest in these wines grew again during the Victorian age, especially after the Peninsular War. During this war, Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington was fighting in Portugal. He discovered Bucelas wine and liked it so much that he brought large amounts back to his home in the United Kingdom.
Because the Duke of Wellington favored it, Bucelas wine quickly became very fashionable in London. It was known as Portuguese Hock there.
However, in the 1900s, more and more land was used for city development. This caused the number of vineyards in Bucelas to shrink a lot. By the early 1980s, almost all the vineyards in Bucelas belonged to just one wine company, which didn't have a good reputation for quality.
Towards the end of the 1900s, there was a new excitement about Portugal's own local grape varieties. This led new winemakers to start working in Bucelas. They wanted to make wines from the traditional local grapes, bringing new life to the region.
Grapes and Winemaking in Bucelas
The main grapes grown in the Bucelas region are Arinto and Esgana Cão. In the Victorian age, because Bucelas was called Portuguese Hock, many people in the wine world thought its main grape, Arinto, was somehow related to the German Riesling grape.
However, Ampelographers (people who study grapevines) in the late 1900s proved that Arinto and Riesling are not related at all. A special thing about Arinto and its blending partner Esgana Cão is that they can keep high levels of acidity (which makes wine taste fresh and sometimes a bit sour) even in the warm, sub-Mediterranean climate near Portugal's coast.
In recent years, winemakers in Bucelas have been trying out different winemaking techniques. This includes making late harvest wines (which are sweeter) and sparkling wines (like champagne) using the traditional method.
See also
In Spanish: Bucelas (vino) para niños
