Bairrada

DO · espumante by bottle fermentation

Bairrada is a DO in central Portugal whose quality sparkling wine (vinho espumante de qualidade) must be fermented in the bottle.1 It must then stay at least 9 months at the producer's premises, counted from bottling, before it is sold.1

Status

Bairrada was first recognised by Portaria 709-A/79 of 28 December 1979, and sparkling wine was added to its rules by Decree-Law 70/91.2,3 The current regime is Portaria 212/2014 of 14 October 2014, as amended by Portaria 335/2015.1,4

Portaria 212/2014 was read from a reproduction on informador.pt, because the official sites could not be opened during research.

Zone

The area covers the municipalities of Anadia, Mealhada and Oliveira do Bairro, and parts of Águeda, Aveiro, Cantanhede, Coimbra and Vagos.2

Method

DO sparkling wine must be made by classic fermentation in the bottle (fermentação clássica em garrafa).1 See traditional method.

Minimum ageing

The wine must stay at least 9 months at the producer's premises, counted from bottling, before it may be sold.1 Note that this rule is worded as time from bottling to sale, not as time on lees until disgorgement. See ageing minimums compared.

Sweetness

Permitted terms are Bruto natural, Extra-bruto, Bruto, Seco and Meio-seco.1 There is no sweet (doce) category in this list. See sugar scale.

Grapes

Annex II of the rules lists 28 varieties, 11 white and 17 red. No espumante-specific minimum shares are set.4 The list itself is not reproduced here.

Yield

The maximum yield for base wine is 120 hl/ha.1

Not verified

Bairrada-specific ageing terms (Reserva, Super Reserva, Velha Reserva) and the "Baga Bairrada" rules were not verified from the legal texts and are not covered. No official production figure was verified either.

Two Portuguese sparkling DOs compared

RuleBairradaTávora-Varosa
MethodBottle fermentation1Traditional, second fermentation in bottle5
Minimum time9 months at the producer from bottling, before sale19 months in bottle before the expedition liqueur5
Grapes28 listed varieties4About 48 listed varieties5
Maximum yield120 hl/ha (base wine)180 hl/ha red, 90 hl/ha white and rosé5

See also

PortugalRegionsTávora-VarosaRegionsTraditional methodMethodsMinimum ageing by appellationMethodsThe sugar scale of sparkling wineDosageCavaRegions

Sources

  1. Diário da República (via informador.pt). Portaria n.º 212/2014, de 14 de outubro - DO Bairrada (2014-10-14)
  2. Diário da República (FAOLEX copy). Decreto-Lei n.º 72/98, de 26 de Março - Estatuto da DOC Bairrada (1998-03-26)
  3. Diário da República (FAOLEX copy). Decreto-Lei n.º 70/91, de 8 de Fevereiro - Regulamento da DOC Bairrada (1991-02-08)
  4. Diário da República (via informador.pt). Portaria n.º 335/2015, de 6 de outubro - 1st amendment to Portaria 212/2014 (2015-10-06)
  5. Diário da República (FAOLEX copy). Portaria n.º 151/2012, de 18 de maio - DO Távora-Varosa and IG Terras de Cister (2012-05-18)

Facts checked on 2026-10-19