History

Alvarelhão must have originated in northern Portugal, but little is known of its ancestry. DNA studies have shown some similarity to Esgana Cão.

Portugal

In Portugal there are 470 hectares of either Alvarelhão or the grape called Brancelho. It is blended into red wine in the Dão

Vinho do Dão

Dão is a Portuguese wine region situated in the Região Demarcada do Dão with the Dão-Lafões sub region of the Centro, Portugal. It is one of the oldest established wine regions in Portugal. Dão wine is produced in a mountainous region with a temperate climate, in the area of the Rio Mondego and Dão...

 region. It is said to be part of the port wine

Port wine

Port wine is a Portuguese fortified wine produced exclusively in the Douro Valley in the northern provinces of Portugal. It is typically a sweet, red wine, often served as a dessert wine, and comes in dry, semi-dry, and white varieties...

 blend in the Douro

Douro

The Douro or Duero is one of the major rivers of the Iberian Peninsula, flowing from its source near Duruelo de la Sierra in Soria Province across northern-central Spain and Portugal to its outlet at Porto...

, although it is not mentioned on the IVDP website as one of the main 11 red grapes of the Douro.

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

University of California, Davis

The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...

 clone Alvarelhão FPMS 02 has now been confirmed as a Touriga Nacional

Touriga Nacional

Touriga Nacional is a variety of red wine grape, considered by many to be Portugal's finest. Despite the low yields from its small grapes, it plays a big part in the blends used for ports, and is increasingly being used for table wine in the Douro and Dão. Touriga Nacional provides structure and...

.

Vine and Viticulture

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

Synonyms

Alvarelhao, Alvarello, Locaia, Pilongo and Varancelha.

German sources, including :de:Brancelho, refer to a Brancelho grape used in Vinho Verde

Vinho Verde

Vinho Verde is a Portuguese wine from the Minho region in the far north of the country. The name literally means "Green Wine" , referring to its youthful freshness that leads to a very slight green color on the edges of the wine. The region is characterized by its many small growers, which...

whose synonyms include Alvarelhão Ceitão, Varancelho and Verancelha. It is not certain that this is the same grape as Alvarelhão.

Further reading

• Robinson, Jancis Vines, Grapes & Wines Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1-85732-999-6