Rabigato: Characteristics, Food Pairings, and History | Wine Consulting

Rabigato: The White Grape from Portugal that Surprises

It is a Portuguese grape variety, native to the Douro region. In the past, it was mistakenly associated with the Rabo de Ovelha variety. The wines offer lively and well-balanced acidity, medium alcohol levels, freshness, and minerality when grown in schist soils, characteristics that have elevated it to the status of a promising variety in the Douro.

It has medium-sized bunches and small, yellowish-green berries. It may offer aromatic notes of acacia and orange blossom, vegetal sensations, and minerality.

Generic characteristics:

The bunch of this variety is medium to large in size, conical with a winged shape, highly compact, and weighing between 220 and 410g. The berries, unlike the bunch, are small, weighing between 1.7 and 2.0g. They have a brownish, spherical shape and a yellowish-green color.

It is a variety of medium vigor and as such shows some tendency to develop lateral shoots. Due to the fact that the bunch is quite compact, this variety is quite susceptible to diseases such as powdery mildew and downy mildew.

It prefers well-drained soils and a moderate climate, adapting well to rootstocks with medium vigor.

The musts resulting from this grape variety have an average alcohol content of 11% by volume and a high natural acidity (5-7g/L total acidity).

The wines have a moderately intense citrus color and show little susceptibility to oxidation.

HARMONIZATION:

It pairs best with white meat dishes, seafood, and cheeses.

(Check out our technical specifications at the link below)

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WRITTEN BY:

Pedro Fernandes

Pedro Fernandes is a Portuguese winemaker who has been involved in viticulture since he was 11 years old, where he started making his first wines with his father and doing tasks such as pruning.

Since then he has never stopped and in 2018 he decided to dedicate himself to the wine sector, starting by doing "everything backwards". He began by taking wine specialization courses such as WSET (Direct Wine) and Wine Expertise (ISAG) in 2018/2019. Then he graduated from the University of Nebrijia in Madrid, obtaining an MBA in Oenology (2020). In 2021, at the age of 39, he decided to pursue a Bachelor's degree in Oenology (UTAD), and against all odds, he finished the course in 2024.

Along the way, he created his first personal wine brand - Chãos - and completed an internship at the prestigious Chateau Latour (in Bordeaux).

Currently, he works as a consultant in the wine sector, where he plays a role not only as an oenologist, but also in creating business strategies for wine producers, with a current vision of the market, which includes resources from Digital Marketing and Wine Tourism.