Jampal wine grapes at Manz Winery in Portugal
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 wine grapes in the world, and many of them are on the verge of extinction. One of the rarest is called the “Jampal” grape.
Enter a Football (Soccer) Player to Save the Jampal Grape
“The Jampal grape was saved from near-extinction by a Brazilian footballer player,” explained Dirceu Vianna Junior, MW, an international wine consultant and Founder of Vianna Wine Resources. “His name is Andre Manz, and he played as a goal-keeper in Lisbon.”
Unfortunately Manz broke his hand, so his soccer career ended. Not one to give up easily, he started a successful fitness company. With the proceeds, he moved his family 45 minutes north of Lisbon to a small village called Cheleiros in the Bucelas wine region.
“Since it was such a small town,” Vianna continued, “people learned that he liked wine. So a woman, whose husband had just passed, told him she had a small vineyard to sell. Manz bought the vineyard and began making wine from some of the white grapes. The wine was delicious, but no one knew what the grape was. So Manz hired experts, and it was discovered to be the Jampal grape, which was thought to be nearly extinct.”
Since then Manz has taken cuttings of the 50-year old vines and expanded the vineyard. Today there are 31 planted hectares (76 acres) of Jampal, still primarily in the Bucelas region, with some plantings in Northern Portugal.
Taste of Jampal Wine
The Jampal grape is known for producing perfumed wines with floral and citrus notes, along with a creamy textured palate. As it ages, it can take on nutty notes. The challenge of the grape is that it is difficult to grow, being susceptible to powdery mildew and bunch rot. However, with a better understanding of the needs of the grape, it is now being produced successfully on a larger scale.
Most producers use Jampal as a blending grape, but Manz decided to highlight it as a single varietal bottling. To this day, his Jampal wine, called Dona Fatima Jampal, is the only pure bottling of Jampal in the world. The cost is around 16 euros in Portugal, and can be found in a few specialty wine shops in the US for around $20.
Saving Endangered Wine Grapes – Hidden Gems Program
The Wines of Portugal association has developed a special program to increase awareness of its unique indigenous grapes. It is called Hidden Gems of Portugal, and 2021 marks the 4th year of showcasing some of the rare and ancient grapes of the country. Each year they select six wines, each made of a single indigenous grape variety from different wineries. These are then shared with wine buyers, sommeliers, and wine professionals in educational tasting sessions.
For 2021, the educational tastings took place via Zoom, and the featured grape varieties were: Loureiro, Azal, Codega do Larinho, Sousao, Tinta Grossa, and of course, Jampal.
“One of the joys in life for me” explained Vianna, who led the educational tasting, “is sharing these unique wine grapes with people. In the past, most of these rare grapes were added to a blend. I seek out producers who are featuring them in a single wine, so everyone can taste how special they are. We do not want to lose these distinct grapes – we do not want them to become extinct.”
Linking Wine Tourism to “A Wine Life List”
Portugal is not the only country that is engaged in efforts to save their endangered wine grapes. Wines of Greece also has programs to bring wine buyers and professionals to taste the 300 indigenous grape varietals in their country, with names such as Assyrtiko, Romeiko, Roditis, and Mavroudi.
Wines of Georgia, with 500 plus indigenous grapes, also has programs to educate both professionals and consumers. As the birthplace of winemaking, Georgia features wine made in ancient Kvevri, which are earthenware vessels buried in the ground to ferment and age wine. Some of Georgia’s grapes include Saperavi, Kisi, Chinuri and many others.
Given that there are so many different wine grapes and wineries around the world, there is a great opportunity to take a page out of the Bird Lifers List. Avid birders purchase a book to track the birds they see in their lifetime. Many people travel around the world to see rare and endangered bird species in their native habitat.
In an effort to help save endangered wine grapes, why not create a “Wine Life List?” Not only would it bring more attention to this special aspect of the natural world, but would assist efforts in global wine tourism. Wine enthusiasts could travel the world to taste these unique wines, many of which are only sold locally by small family businesses.
So the next time you are in Lisbon, consider driving 45 minutes north to see and taste the Jampal grape in its natural habitat. Then of course, there are still 249 other indigenous grapes to taste in Portugal, before you are off to the next country.
