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Red grapes

Loureiro

	Ampelographic Characteristics Fonte: Catálogo das Castas, IVV.
	Grape characteristics
Name	Loureiro
Type of grape variety	White
Description	Though existing in almost the entire region of Vinhos Verdes, it is originally from the valley of the River Lima. Although it is a very productive and fertile grape variety, it has only recently been considered ‘noble’. Loureiro’s bunches are big and not very compact, while the berries are medium-sized and yellowish or greenish coloured. Loureiro produces high acidity wines, with very strong floral and fruity aromas. It produces “monovarietal” wines (single grape variety), but is also often used in blend wines (mixture of several grape varieties), combined with Trajadura and Arinto.

Budding	open, very cottony, white and with carmine margin.
Young leaf	green with bronze spots, sometimes brass coloured; very bubbly and very cottony on the down side of the blade.
Flower	androgynous.
Shoots	internodes and nodes with red striations on the back side and green on the frontal side; green buds, half-erect to horizontal growth.
Tendrils	discontinuous, long and webbed; very separate, vigorous and coiled.
Adult leaf	medium size, pentagonal, with five lobes, but sometimes with only three lobes, medium green, irregular outline usually with the lobes slightly folded down, medium bubbly and sometimes wrinkled, short to medium long teeth, convex margins; slightly open petiolar sinus with a V shaped base and closed upper lateral sinus with a U shaped base; carmine petiolar point as well as the beginning of the main veins on both sides; cottony and slightly bristly on the down side; pubescent petiole, shorter than the medium main vein.
Bunch	big, sometimes medium size; cylindrical-conic; medium compactness; medium length peduncle and medium lignification.
Berry	medium size and uniform; round, sometimes slightly flattened; yellow green colour; with bloom, medium thick skin and little apparent hilum; soft, juicy pulp with a special flavour; medium long pedicel of easy separation.
Seeds	little hard tegument, predominantly one per berry; medium size, round, short and little pronounced beak.
Stalks	elliptic cross-section, striated surface, yellow brownish colour; long and vigorous; medium long internodes and large nodes; medium long, cup-shaped and prominent buds.