How a Football Player Saved a Nearly Extinct Portuguese Wine Grape

Just as a bird or animal species can come close to the brink of extinction, so too can wine grapes. Currently there are over 1300 vine varieties in the world, but most people are only familiar with the commonly produced ones, such as Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, or Cabernet Sauvignon. However, there are a few countries in the world, such as the Republic of Georgia, Greece, Italy and Portugal where very rare indigenous wine grapes are found. In fact, Portugal, with a surface area six times smaller than France, has over 250 varieties. This gives Portugal the highest density of indigenous [...]