garrafeira, word used by winemakers, wine bottlers, and wine collectors in portugal meaning a ‘private wine cellar’ or ‘reserve’. The term was once widely used on wine labels to denote a red wine from an exceptional year that has been aged for at least 30 months before sale, including at least 12 months in bottle. White and rosé garrafeira wines, which are now fairly rare, must be aged for at least 12 months, including at least 6 months in bottle, to qualify. The law states that both red and white doc wines must have an alcoholic strength at least 0.5 per cent above the legal minimum for the DOC region. Traditionally most garrafeiras were blends of wines from different parts of the country, labelled with the name of the merchant who bottled them. Under legislation introduced in the early 1990s, all garrafeiras must display their region of origin.
