BAGA (grape variety) Anyone who truly wants to understand Portuguese wine cannot ignore this grape: Baga, the leading red grape variety of the Atlantic-influenced Bairrada region. More than half of the vineyards in the DOC of the same name, characterised by loamy and limestone soils, are planted with Baga, from which extremely long-lived and distinctive red wines are produced. The variety is also found sporadically in Vinho Verde, in the Lisbon area and even at the Douro, where it was long known by the synonym Tinta Bairrada.
Garnet-ruby in colour, Baga boasts crisp acidity and an extremely robust tannin structure, whilst remaining moderate in alcohol content, which often does not exceed 13%. This ensures excellent ageing potential – the right vintage, aged in barriques, can easily mature for several decades and hold its own against top wines from Piedmont or Burgundy. (Even simple Reservas can still be elegant and remarkably fresh after more than 40 years; we’ve tried it ourselves.)
In terms of fruit notes, it has wild berry aromas, often raspberry, but also sour cherry. Alongside this, there are subtle herbal notes and hints of forest floor. It is quite ethereal; eucalyptus is also frequently detected on the nose, along with dark chocolate, cedar wood or cigar box, and occasionally even slightly corky nuances.
The firm acidity of its youth makes Baga the perfect grape for sparkling wine; it is no coincidence that the Bairrada region is regarded as the heartland of Portuguese sparkling wine.
Incidentally, in the photo shown, on the left you can see grapes from ungrafted vines over 100 years old, which Luís Pato strictly limits in yield for his Pé Franco in order to achieve maximum concentration.