What is made here
Wine colours
Colours the rules allow. Pick a colour to filter the rules and grapes below.
Where it is
Portofino in Italy
- Latitude
- 44.2°–44.5° N
- Vineyard altitude
- 105 m to 416 m
- Production zone
- 91,549 ha
Boundary drawn from whole communes, so it is a little larger than the legal zone. Boundary: Eurac Research PDO inventory (CC0). Country outlines: Natural Earth. Dots on the zone map are the vineyard points used for climate.
Showing every colour The colour filter changes the rules and grapes. Climate, vintages and soils describe the vineyards, so they stay the same.
01 · What the law says
The rules
Limits on grapes, yields, ripeness and ageing that every wine labelled Portofino must meet.
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Rosso
- ≥ 60% Ciliegiolo / Dolcetto · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca nera non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Rosso Frizzante
- ≥ 60% Ciliegiolo / Dolcetto · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca nera non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Rosso Novello
- ≥ 60% Ciliegiolo / Dolcetto · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca nera non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Rosato
- ≥ 60% Ciliegiolo / Dolcetto · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca nera non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Rosato Frizzante
- ≥ 60% Ciliegiolo / Dolcetto · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca nera non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Ciliegiolo
- ≥ 85% Ciliegiolo · Main grape
- ≤ 15% altri vitigni a bacca di colore analogo non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Ciliegiolo Frizzante
- ≥ 85% Ciliegiolo · Main grape
- ≤ 15% altri vitigni a bacca di colore analogo non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Ciliegiolo Novello
- ≥ 85% Ciliegiolo · Main grape
- ≤ 15% altri vitigni a bacca di colore analogo non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Bianco
- ≥ 60% Vermentino / Bianchetta Genovese · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca bianca non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Bianco Frizzante
- ≥ 60% Vermentino / Bianchetta Genovese · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca bianca non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Bianco Passito
- ≥ 60% Vermentino / Bianchetta Genovese · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca bianca non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Bianco Spumante
- ≥ 60% Vermentino / Bianchetta Genovese · Main grape
- ≤ 40% altri vitigni a bacca bianca non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Bianchetta Genovese
- ≥ 85% Bianchetta Genovese · Main grape
- ≤ 15% altri vitigni a bacca di colore analogo non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Bianchetta Genovese Frizzante
- ≥ 85% Bianchetta Genovese · Main grape
- ≤ 15% altri vitigni a bacca di colore analogo non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Vermentino
- ≥ 85% Vermentino · Main grape
- ≤ 15% altri vitigni a bacca di colore analogo non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Vermentino Frizzante
- ≥ 85% Vermentino · Main grape
- ≤ 15% altri vitigni a bacca di colore analogo non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Cimixà/Scimiscià
- ≥ 85% Scimiscià (Cimixà) · Main grape
- ≤ 15% altri vitigni a bacca di colore analogo non aromatici idonei per la Regione Liguria · Others allowed
Other varieties allowed
Besides the main grapes, the rules allow these varieties in some wines. Grape names link where a profile exists.
13 varieties · 5 wines
Albarossa, Alicante, Barbera, Barsaglina, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo Nero, Merlot, Pollera Nera, Rossese, Sangiovese, Syrah, Vermentino Nero
14 varieties · Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Ciliegiolo, Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Ciliegiolo Frizzante, Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Ciliegiolo Novello
Albarossa, Alicante, Barbera, Barsaglina, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo Nero, Dolcetto, Merlot, Pollera Nera, Rossese, Sangiovese, Syrah, Vermentino Nero
14 varieties · 4 wines
Albana, Albarola, Bosco, Greco, Lumassina, Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Muscat Blanc A Petits Grains, Pigato, Rollo, Rossese Bianco, Ruzzese, Sauvignon Blanc, Scimiscia', Trebbiano Toscano
15 varieties · Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Bianchetta Genovese, Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Bianchetta Genovese Frizzante
Albana, Albarola, Bosco, Greco, Lumassina, Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Muscat Blanc A Petits Grains, Pigato, Rollo, Rossese Bianco, Ruzzese, Sauvignon Blanc, Scimiscia', Trebbiano Toscano, Vermentino
15 varieties · Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Moscato, Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Moscato Passito
Albana, Albarola, Bianchetta Genovese, Bosco, Greco, Lumassina, Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Pigato, Rollo, Rossese Bianco, Ruzzese, Sauvignon Blanc, Scimiscia', Trebbiano Toscano, Vermentino
15 varieties · Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Vermentino, Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Vermentino Frizzante
Albana, Albarola, Bianchetta Genovese, Bosco, Greco, Lumassina, Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Muscat Blanc A Petits Grains, Pigato, Rollo, Rossese Bianco, Ruzzese, Sauvignon Blanc, Scimiscia', Trebbiano Toscano
16 varieties · Golfo del Tigullio-Portofino/Portofino Cimixà/Scimiscià
Albana, Albarola, Bianchetta Genovese, Bosco, Greco, Lumassina, Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Muscat Blanc A Petits Grains, Pigato, Rollo, Rossese Bianco, Ruzzese, Sauvignon Blanc, Scimiscia', Trebbiano Toscano, Vermentino
In the vineyard and cellar: rules for every wine
4,000
Vines per hectare, minimum
No forcing
Forcing the vines is prohibited
Emergency only
Irrigation
Allowed
Enrichment (chaptalisation)
02 · Climate fingerprint
The climate
The growing season averages 17.8 °C, warm on Gregory Jones's scale, with 1,668 growing degree days (Winkler III).
The average year 1991–2020, vineyards at about 317 m
Monthly mean, °CRain, mmGrowing season
- Growing-season temperature
- 17.8 °C
- Warm · 17–19 °C (Jones)
- Growing degree days
- 1,668
- Region III: 1,667–1,943 degree days
- Growing-season rain
- 713 mm
- Of 1,394 mm a year
- Harvest rain
- 318 mm
- September–October
Copernicus ERA5-Land monthly averages at 5 vineyard points (Vineyard point 1, 195 m; Vineyard point 2, 105 m; Vineyard point 3, 343 m; Vineyard point 4, 250 m; Vineyard point 5, 691 m), moved to each point's height from the model's terrain. Indices that need daily data are not captured yet. How the climate figures are made.
Lower confidence:Monthly reanalysis in moderately complex terrain; not yet checked against a weather station.
Closest climates in the database
Picked by the data, not by hand: the profiles nearest on season warmth (counted twice), degree days, rain, ripening-month nights and day–night range. Neighbours within 30 km are left out, as they share the same weather.
1. Cinque TerreVery similarCompared with Portofino: same season warmth, similar rain.
2. SoaveVery similarCompared with Portofino: same season warmth, similar rain.
3. BotticinoVery similarCompared with Portofino: same season warmth, similar rain.
Growing-season temperature
Growing degree days
Growing-season rain
03 · Year by year
35 vintages
Each column is one growing season: heat above or below the 1991–2020 average, and rain at harvest. Pick a year for the details.
Warmer than averageCooler than averageHarvest rain (Sep–Oct)Average harvest rain, 318 mm
2025
- Growing-season temp.
- Growing degree days
- Harvest rain
- Growing-season rain
- September nights
- Hot days and frosts
Seasons are labelled by harvest year (April–October). Year-to-year changes from ERA5-Land; tested against station records in Alto Adige (r = 0.94 for season temperature at Bolzano). Rain varies more locally, so treat single-season rain with some caution. Vintage ratings, harvest dates and frost or hail events have places in the data model but are not loaded yet.
04 · Where the numbers come from
Sources
- A geospatial inventory of regulatory information for wine protected designations of origin in Europe · Candiago et al., Scientific Data 9, 394 (2022); Eurac Research · CC0
- Quality wines in Italy and France: a dataset of PDO specifications · figshare 25393261 · CC BY 4.0
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data (reanalysis-era5-land-monthly-means) · Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Climate Data Store · CC BY 4.0 (Copernicus licence)
- OpenStreetMap vineyard areas (landuse=vineyard), from Geofabrik country extracts · OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0
- Copernicus DEM GLO-90 (AWS open data tiles) · European Space Agency / Copernicus · Copernicus DEM licence
- Disciplinare di produzione: Portofino · Ministero dell'agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foreste (MASAF) · Official act
- Climate profiles calculated by Vinous: method
Still to check (3)
- Generated from EU reference data: check against the current product specification.
- From the specification: Winemaking and bottling must take place within the Liguria region (sparkling and frizzante elaboration also in neighbouring regions), not specifically the zone, so vinification_in_zone_required is left null. Spumante may be made by natural fermentation in autoclave or bottle (no added CO2) and ranges from extra brut to dry, so neither method nor sweetness is recorded. Passito grapes are dried on the vine, on racks or in rooms (no artificial heat) to at least 260 g/l sugar; enrichment is not allowed for passiti. Ciliegiolo novello has no separate rules. The Costa dei Fieschi sub-zone is governed by an annex not included here. Wine yield max 70% (50% passito), no hl/ha figure.
- National tier (DOC/DOCG) not captured yet; rules extracted from the specification text.