| Blauer Portugieser | |
|---|---|
| Grape (Vitis) | |
 Blauer Portugieser in Weinsberg, Germany | |
| Species | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called | Autrichien, Badener, Blaue Feslauertraube, Feslauer, Modrý Portugal (Czech Republic), Kékoportó (Hungary), Portugizac Plavi(Croatia), modra portugalka (Slovenia), Oporto, Portugais Bleu (France), Portugieser and Vöslauer |
| Origin | Lower Styria (now Slovenian Styria) |
| Notable regions | Rheinhessen, Pfalz |
| VIVC number | 9620 |
Blauer Portugieser is a red Austrian, Slovenian wine, Croatian wine, Moravian and German wine grape[1] found primarily in the Rheinhessen, Pfalz and wine regions of Lower Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. It is also one of the permitted grapes in the Hungarian wine Egri Bikavér (Bull's blood). In Germany, the cultivated area covered 4,551 hectares (11,250 acres) or 4.5% of the total vineyard area in 2007.[2] Wine cellars usually vinify a simple light red wine, which is characterized by a fresh, tart and light body. It is also frequently vinified as a rosé. Blauer Portugieser is also very well suited as table grapes; however, it is not sold as such because the selling of wine grapes as table grapes is not permitted in the European Union. Since 2000, higher quality wines have been vinified from Portugieser grapes. The use of oak provides additional aromas in order to compete with Bordeaux varieties. DNA profiling has shown that Blauer Portugieser is a cross between Grüner Silvaner (male parent) and Blaue Zimmettraube (female parent; the offspring of Blauer Gänsfüsser). Historical ampelographic sources have provided very solid evidence that the geographic area of origin of the variety is Lower Styria (today Slovenian Styria).[3]
- ^ J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 542 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0-19-860990-6
- ^ German Wine Institute: German Wine Statistics 2008-2009 Archived July 26, 2011, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ Mauel, E.; Röckel, F; Töpfer, R. (2016). "The "missing link" 'Blaue Zimmettraube' reveals that 'Blauer Portugieser' and 'Blaufränkisch' originated in Lower Styria". Vitis. 55: 135–143. doi:10.5073/vitis.2016.55.135-143. Archived from the original on 2017-02-07. Retrieved 2016-11-24.