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Antão Vaz
Antão Vaz is a white wine grape native to Portugal and one of the most prized varieties of the Alentejo region. Historically almost exclusively grown in Vidigueira, it can nowadays also be found in small cultivations around Lisbon and in the Península de Setúbal.
Antão Vaz has been discovered to be a cross of the white Cayetana blanca and the red João Domingos grape, the latter of which is believed to be extinct in its native Portugal. It is well suited to the warm and sunny climate of the great plains of Alentejo, and produces loosely packed, large grapes with tough skins.
Similar to Chardonnay, the Antão Vaz grape is very versatile and can be both harvested early for making light, ready-to-drink wines, or left on the vine to produce fuller varieties that are suited to barrel ageing.
The majority of Antão Vaz is used to produce varietal wines, however it can on occasion be blended with other grapes and is also permitted to be used to make white port.
Notable regions
The grape is exclusively grown in Portugal and remains best-associated with and most commonly cultivated in the Vidigueira municipality which is 2003 became one of eight sub-regions of the Alentejo DOC.
Characteristics
Antão Vaz tends to produce full-bodied wines and, when harvested early, have very high acidity as well.
The dominant flavours and aromas are those of ripe, tropical fruit such as papaya and pineapple, with citrus and honey overtones.