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Port

Known for decades as the Englishman's wine", port was once the drink uncorked for toasting in England. In gentlemen's clubs, vintage port was dispensed from a crystal decanter. Some 40 varieties of grapes, grown in rich lava soil, go into making port -- either vintage or blended. The full-bodied tawnies and reds are often consumed at the end of a meal with cheese, fruit or nuts. Visit a port-wine lodge to learn more about -- and to taste -- this major export of Portugal.

Vinhos Verdes (veen-yosh vair-desh)

Lemony in color and cultivated in a humid atmosphere, "green wine" grapes are picked while young. Its very light and fruity flavor is said to suggest the cool breezes of summer. It is often served with fish and many Portuguese use it as a thirst quencher in the way Americans consume soft drinks. The finest vinhos verdes are from Moncao, just south of the river Minho.

Dao

Dao is produced from grapes grown just south of the Douro in Portugal's northern mountainous heartland. A lot of Dao wine is red, notably the vinhos maduros, matured in oak casks for nearly two years before being bottled. Dao is velvety in texture and often accompanies roasts. At almost every restaurant in Portugal, patrons encounter either branco (white) or tinto (red). The best bottles of red Dao wine are the reserve (printed on the label).

Madeira

Grown from grapes rooted in the island's volcanic soil, its origins stem from 1419. This fortified and blended wine is highly prized by aristocratic British families. George Washington was one of its early admirers. Madeira wines of today are lighter and drier than the thick, sweet kinds favored by generations past. Sercial, a dry and light variety, is best as an aperitif and is often served in Portugal with toasted and salted almonds.