Portuguese Wine: a 2,000-Year Story — and a Glass Waiting for You in Coimbra

Wine has been made in Portugal for more than two thousand years. The Phoenicians and the Greeks brought the first vines, but it was the Romans who spread wine culture across Lusitania. Later, monasteries kept the knowledge of the vineyard alive through the Middle Ages, and wine became part of life in every village.

In the 18th century, everything changed. In 1703, the Methuen Treaty opened the English market to Portuguese wine, and Port conquered London. To protect its quality, the Marquis of Pombal demarcated the Douro region in 1756 — one of the first demarcated wine regions in the world, long before many of today’s famous appellations.

Portugal’s great treasure is its grapes. The country has around 250 native varieties, many of them almost unknown abroad: Touriga Nacional in the Douro and Dão, Baga in Bairrada, Encruzado in Dão, Alvarinho and Loureiro in Vinho Verde. That is what makes Portuguese wine so unique: flavours you will not find anywhere else.

And France? The two countries have always watched each other. In the 19th century, phylloxera — a tiny insect from America — devastated French vineyards and then Portuguese ones. Both wine cultures were reborn together, thanks to the same American rootstocks. It was also around that time that Bairrada, right next to Coimbra, began making sparkling wine using the traditional method, the same as in Champagne. Today, Bairrada sparkling wines are among the best in the Iberian Peninsula.

Coimbra is lucky to sit between two great regions: Bairrada, with its Baga reds and its sparkling wines, and Dão, with elegant, fresh wines born among the mountains. Few people know it, but the city is a perfect gateway to Portuguese wine.

At Baia, we wanted a small but carefully chosen list. By the glass, we pour a Vinho Verde from Casa Tojeira, a French rosé — a nod to Julia’s French-Portuguese roots —, an alcohol-free white for those who prefer it, and a Prosecco. By the bottle, you will find a Gandarada from Dão, a Casal da Coelheira from Tejo and a Pedra Só sparkling wine from Bairrada. We also serve white and red sangria, by the glass or by the jug.

If you are looking for a quiet spot in Coimbra’s historic centre to enjoy a good glass and talk about wine, come to Baia, in Beco dos Esteireiros, by Largo do Romal. Mehdi will be delighted to welcome you, tell you the story behind each bottle and help you pick the right glass for your evening.