Portugieser Blauer - California Wine - who knows one?

Blauer Portugieser ("blue portuguese") is Austria's second most prolific red grape (after Zweigelt), but has little aspirations to top quality.

I've never heard this grape being grown anywhere except Eastern Europe - in Hungary it's called oporto or kék oporto, btw.

M.

As far as I know this grape is mainly found i Germany, where it produces light fruity red wines which I find worth drinking at lunch at a hot summers day. The main growing area in Germany is the Ahr-region, I think. I think that the origin of this grape has never been established - the name indicates Porugal, but that may not be thrue...

I can't comment on its availlability in US - *S* H.

Probably came from Austria at some point.

It's listed in the crush report for CA. I would find it dubious that they import the grapes from Europe. It's not listed explicitly in the report for what varietals are grown, but it's a very small percentage in

In the mid 1980s, Austria and Germany both had slightly under

M.

Today Germany

I can't recall having seen Blauer Portugieser at all during my wine-trips to Austria, but it may be due to the fact that in Austria I've concentrated on my favorite Blaufränkisch-grape. In Germany it's called Lemberger and is quite rare. The few Lembergers I've tasted were clearly inferior to the better Blaufränkisch, found in Austria. I recently learned that 1/3 of the German wine-production actually are reds now, and new red-producing grapes are becomming more and more popular in Germany, producing charming, fruity and from thin redwines (Dornfelder, Regent), but that's another story. German and Austrian quality-reds are little known outside the 2 contries and they do deserve more attention. HK

There is not one single premium red wine in Austria labelled or made of Blauer Portugieser. Most standard (not premium) red in the Baden and Vöslau area south of Vienna is from Blauer Portugieser, but the grape variety seldom appears on the label. Most is quaffing stuff, served in the Heurigen places of the region.

M.