lagar, term used in portugal for a low-sided stone trough where grapes are trodden and fermented. Most have now been replaced by conventional fermentation vats except in the douro Valley, where some of the best ports continue to be foot-trodden in lagares. In the late 1990s, robotic lagares were introduced in the Douro by the symington family and have become an important factor in the making of premium quality port. See port for more detail.
© Jancis Robinson and Oxford University Press 1994, 1999, 2006, 2015
