🥃 Aguardente Bagaceira Bairrada

Aguardente Bagaceira Bairrada is an EU-protected geographical name for a grape pomace spirit from Bairrada in central Portugal. It is distilled in traditional stills from fresh fermented pomace that has not been ensiled, discarding the «heads» and «tails». The strength is 40% ABV or more, and methanol no more than 400 g per hectolitre of pure alcohol.

In Portugal the name has been protected by an order of 28 December 1979; in the EU register it dates from 12 June 1989. The Bairrada Wine Commission certifies the product and checks the age. The zone lies between the Vouga river in the north and the Mondego in the south, the Buçaco and Caramulo mountains in the east and the Atlantic Ocean in the west.

The pomace must come from vines at least four years past grafting, with a density of more than 3 000 plants per hectare. The «heads» are separated so that methanol and acetic acid do not enter the spirit, and the «tails» so that there are no grassy aromas. Flavouring is forbidden; apart from ageing in wooden barrels, only caramel for colour is permitted.

With its methanol limit the name is stricter than the general EU rule for pomace spirits, which allows up to 1 000 g. The technical file describes the spirit as aromatic, with low acidity and bitterness; the colour ranges from colourless to yellow or amber. Several decades ago, according to the file, the region distilled a large share of Portugal's spirits.

Why this matters to you. This name is used only on glass bottles of nine sizes, from 100 to 2 000 ml. The label must carry eight items, including the actual strength, the batch and allergens. WHO reminds: there is no safe dose of alcohol.