white grape · regional staple
Bical
Bairrada, Portugal
Say it
bee·kahl
On the palate
white peachapricotgreen applelemonhoney
How you spot it blind: Piercing acidity that survives warm climates; develops Riesling-like petrol with age
The story
First written down · 1867, Bairrada, Portugal
First documented by agronomist António Augusto de Aguiar in 1867; the founding of Bairrada's wine school in 1887 led directly to the region's first sparkling wine, released 1890, built on Bical's high acidity.
Family tree: MALVASIA FINA × unknown
Where it lives
Bairrada, Portugal · Dão, Portugal
Shows up as
still whitesparkling