Bill Zacharkiw: Douro or Dão for Portuguese wine?

The Dão benefits from cool nights brought by altitude, as well as cool winds blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. Wines of Portugal

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Douro or Dão? Are you Led Zeppelin or Steely Dan? A Beethoven symphony or a Mozart concerto? That’s the choice you are facing when deciding between the wines of these two neighbouring appellations in north-eastern Portugal.

While both Douro and Dão wineries make a small amount of white wines, the majority is red. The brawnier, symphonic, “hard-rock” wines come from the Douro. The more classically structured, delicate and articulate wines are from the Dão.

Understanding why they are different is what’s so interesting about wine.

Start with what they have in common. They share a common grape, touriga nacional, as well as a secondary grape, tinta roriz (tempranillo). Touriga can be a monster, thick-skinned and rich in tannins. There are many other grapes used in these blends, but what’s important is that the same grapes will express themselves differently depending on where they are grown.

Both regions’ soils have lots of schist, a mineral laden pliable rock with clay in between the sheets. Clay gives wines body and power. But the Dão also has granite, which means that the same grape will show brighter fruit, and less body. It’s the ballerina of soils.

The famous terrassed slopes of the Douro valley.

The famous terrassed slopes of the Douro valley. Bill Zacharkiw

But the biggest differences are climate and tradition. Douro is much warmer than the Dão. Because it’s so mountainous, the Douro does not benefit from cool winds coming off the Atlantic Ocean. Heat gets trapped in the valleys and summer temperatures can easily reach 40C. The mountains also create a rain-shadow effect on much of the region, leaving it quite arid. Hot plus dry is the recipe for ripe, powerfully flavoured grapes.

The Dão’s terrain is much less rugged, though much of the vineyards are located in mountainous foothills which benefit from cool nights brought by altitude, as well as cool winds blowing in from the Atlantic Ocean. The cooler temperatures give the wines higher acidities, and because the grapes don’t reach the same degree of ripeness as in Douro, the fruit flavours are fresher.

How does tradition fit in? Those powerful Douro grapes are perfectly suited for the style of wine that made the region famous: port. Port is sweet. To get this sweetness, grapes need lots of sugar, which means the grapes must be harvested when they are very ripe.

Dry table wines were traditionally made from leftover, over-ripened grapes. Again, these grapes may be great for making port, but they’re not ideal for making table wine — unless, of course, you like high alcohol and dried-fruit flavours.

While port remains at close to 80 per cent of the region’s production, people have been drinking less of it over the past 20 years. So in the mid-1990s, wineries started to take seriously their table wine.

The region had to re-invent itself, starting with learning how to grow grapes for table wines. That required an earlier harvest and broader range of grape varieties. Twenty years later, the region has come a long way and is now known as much for its quality table wine as for its port.

Crushing grapes by foot is still a tradition in the Douro.

Crushing grapes by foot is still a tradition in the Douro. Wines of Portugal

Another tradition that made the Douro famous was foot stomping of grapes in large, open fermentors called “lagares.” Is it still done? Yes. Is it unsanitary? No. They wash their feet first.

Does foot-stomping make a difference? I’ll say this: On a few occasions I have tasted two versions of the same wine, one crushed by foot and the other in a standard grape press, and found the foot-trodden version infinitely better, largely due to its silkier tannins.

As for the Dão, it has no tradition of making fortified wines, so producers there already knew how to make table wine the right way. What has changed is a shift toward making quality wine.

Under the rule of António de Oliveira Salazar (1932 to 1968), Dão growers were forced to give their grapes to co-operatives for wine-making, which created stagnation in the industry. But that began to change in the 1970s. Over the last 20 years, some of Portugal’s best reds have come from family estates.

So which wine is right for you?

If you are a fan of warm-climate wine-growing regions like the Roussillon, South Australia, California, Sicily and southern Italy, then Douro will likely fit your palate.

Dāo wines have much more of a Bordeaux feel, or any region that makes reds with higher acidities and finer tannins, including most of northern Europe, New Zealand, Ontario and British Columbia.

The best thing about both appellations is you can find great wines for under $20. Check out today’s suggestions and discover the differences yourself.


Three Douros and three Dãos to try

Douro 2014, Vale do Bomfim, Portugal red, $15.45, SAQ # 10838982. Great complexity for a small price here. There is a remarkable brightness to the fruit, unexpected considering the wine’s silky texture. If you want body, then this is for you. Refreshing salty, mineral note on the finish. Grape varieties: tinta barroca, touriga franca, touriga nacional, tinta roriz. Residual sugar: 3.1 g/l. Serve at: 18C. Drink now-2018. Food pairing suggestion: Osso Buco, duck confit.

Douro 2015, Dialogo, Niepoort, Portugal red, $16.55, SAQ # 12098033. Surprisingly light. This is pushing the lower limits of ripe with the dark, sour cherry fruit. Just a hint of oak for extra spice alongside a dried garden herb finish. Chuggable Douro? Who would have thought. Grape varieties: touriga franca, touriga nacional, tinta roriz, tinta amarela. Residual sugar: 1.7 g/l. Serve at: 18C. Drink now-2018. Food pairing suggestion: Spicy meatballs, oily fish like mackerel.

Douro 2014, Duorum, Portugal red, $19.45, SAQ # 11510102. Oak-driven with its vanilla and espresso notes. Full-bodied and richly fruited Douro that will satisfy a wide range of palates. Dried blackberry, a hint of raisin, and a touch of dried baking spice adds to the depth. Lots going on here. Tannins are typically firm but yielding. Classic. Grape varieties: touriga nacional, touriga franca, tinta roriz. Residual sugar: 3.3 g/l. Serve at: 18C. Drink now-2019. Food pairing suggestion: beef tajine (with spice and dates), braised meats with ginger.

Dão 2014, Duque de Viseu, Portugal red, $14.95, SAQ # 546309. Classic Dão with its rich tannic structure and dark fruits. Truly representative of the appellation; a more finessed Douro if you like. Slight herbal note and spice on the finish adds some extra depth. Grape varieties: touriga nacional, tinta roriz, alfrocheiro, tinta barroca. Residual sugar: 1.7g/l. Serve at: 16C. Drink now-2019. Food pairing suggestion: Most red meats, meat lasagna, oily fish like mackerel.

Dão 2014, Quinta dos Roques, Portugal red, $16.75, SAQ # 744805. So classic in its Dão-ist expression. Floral, red-fruited with a bright acidity and finely grained tannin. Lots of elegance for a small price. Grape varieties: touriga nacional, jaen, alfrocheiro, tinta roriz. Residual sugar: n/a. Serve at: 16C. Drink now-2018. Food pairing suggestion: Pork or veal roast with herbs and mustard.

Dão 2013, Quinta das Maias, Portugal red, $17.25, SAQ # 874925. A different take on the theme as it shows darker tinged fruit with a bit more tannin. But the same finesse and a touch more oak driven spice on it. Easy drinking but still substantial. Grape varieties: touriga nacional, jaen, alfrocheiro, tinta amarela. Residual sugar: 1.9 g/l. Serve at: 16C. Drink now-2019. Food pairing suggestion: beef brochettes, bavette and fries.


