The DOC area for red and white wines was defined in wine legislation back in 1908. The huge area covers 60,000 hectares of vineyards in the districts of Braga, Porto and Viana do Castelo. It stretches 130 kilometres long and 70 kilometres wide in the north-west of Portugal between the Douro and Minho rivers, which form the border with Spain. The entire region is also classified as an IGP area Minho for country wines. The cool climate, with an average annual rainfall of 2000 mm, is strongly influenced by the nearby Atlantic Ocean.

The area is divided into the six sub-zones Amarante, Basto, Braga, Lima, Moncáo and Penafiel, which differ in terms of the grape varieties grown. However, the sub-zone is usually not mentioned on the label. The vines are trained in a foliage system similar to pergola. Around a quarter of Portuguese wine is produced here. However, around 60% of the wine produced is simple, non-bottled draught wine, which resembles cloudy cider. The vineyards are cultivated by around 30,000 winegrowers with very small vineyards, often as a sideline.
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Markus J. Eser
Weinakademiker und Herausgeber „Der Weinkalender“