Norway’s wine monopoly has published what it will put on sale next Wednesday, and Portugal is well represented. On 30 October Vinmonopolet’s product database switched 42 Portuguese products to the status “lanseres 04.11.2026”, meaning they go on sale on 4 November. The list answers the question NorthSouth HQ raised on 26 October: which Bairrada sparkling wine would fill the basis-range slot that Vinmonopolet had tendered for. The answer is two.
Two Bairrada sparkling wines in the basis range
Only two of the 42 launches are tagged to the basisutvalget, the core range that every Vinmonopolet store can stock, and both are traditional-method Bairrada sparkling wines. São João Reserva Brut 2021 from Caves São João costs NOK 279.90. It is 60% bical, 20% arinto and 20% maria gomes, spent 48 months on the lees and has under 3 g/l of sugar. The Norwegian importer is Silves Vinho Group AS. Encontro Espumante Reserva Bruto 2016 from Quinta do Encontro costs NOK 199.90. It is 100% baga, spent 36 months on the lees and has 3.8 g/l of sugar. The importer is Winederful AS.
Both wines meet the specification Vinmonopolet published in December 2025 (number 202611012): at least 40% bical and/or baga, at least 18 months on the lees, no more than 6.0 g/l of sugar and a retail price under NOK 360. Vinmonopolet’s database does not say which of the two was bought against that specification, or whether the second came through another route. Either way, Portugal goes from having no active sparkling wine in the Norwegian basis range to having two. The only previous one, Provam’s Côto de Mamoelas Alvarinho Bruto, had been discontinued.
Two more Portuguese sparkling wines launch the same day in the order range (bestillingsutvalget), which stores bring in only on request. São Domingos Grande Reserva Baga Bairrada Bruto 2017 (NOK 409.90, 60 months on the lees, importer Swirl Wines AS) is a third Bairrada wine. Quinta da Romeyra Espumante Bruto 2024 (NOK 199.90, 100% arinto, importer Grape Company AS) comes from the Lisboa region.
The 2024 Vintage Ports reach Norway
Fortified wine makes up almost half of the launch: 20 of the 42 products. Four houses are releasing their 2024 Vintage Ports. Quinta do Noval is launching its Vintage Port 2024 at NOK 895 and its single-vineyard Nacional 2024 at NOK 8,350, both through Winederful AS. Niepoort’s 2024 costs NOK 899.90 (Winetailor AS). Sandeman’s, listed under Sogrape Vinhos, costs NOK 890 (Grape Company AS). Churchill’s comes in two sizes: NOK 895 for 75 cl and NOK 1,795 for a 150 cl magnum (Signature Wines AS). Symington’s 2024 Vintage Ports reached Norway earlier, in the 2 September launch. Sweden’s Systembolaget will launch its own 2024 Vintage Port line-up on 20 November.
| Product | Producer | NOK | Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| Encontro Espumante Reserva Bruto 2016 | Quinta do Encontro | 199.90 | Basis |
| São João Reserva Brut 2021 | Caves São João | 279.90 | Basis |
| São Domingos Grande Reserva Baga Bruto 2017 | Caves do Solar de São Domingos | 409.90 | Order |
| Sandeman Vintage 2024 | Sogrape Vinhos | 890.00 | Order |
| Quinta do Noval Vintage Port 2024 | Quinta do Noval | 895.00 | Order |
| Churchill’s Vintage Port 2024 (75 cl) | Graham Churchill | 895.00 | Order |
| Niepoort Vintage Port 2024 | Niepoort | 899.90 | Order |
| Quinta do Noval Nacional 2024 | Quinta do Noval | 8,350.00 | Order |
| Vallado Very Very Old Port | Quinta do Vallado | 11,999.00 | Order |
Source: Vinmonopolet product database, status “lanseres 04.11.2026”, read 31 October 2026. Selected lines.
Aged tawnies make up much of the rest. The most expensive Portuguese bottle in the launch is Quinta do Vallado’s Very Very Old Port at NOK 11,999, followed by Noval’s Nacional and Vallado’s 80 Year Old Tawny at NOK 5,999. Croft brings four products at once: Fine Ruby, Fine Tawny, LBV 2021 and a Vintage 2003. Noval adds an LBV, a 20 Year Old Tawny and a Colheita. Dow’s adds 10 and 20 Year Old Tawnies, and Dalva a three-pack of 5 cl Port miniatures at NOK 159.
The table wines
The remaining 18 products are 12 whites, five reds and one rosé, all in the order range. Minho stands out with three Alvarinhos (two from Vale dos Ares and Encosta da Capela Reserva) plus 310 Escolha Branco. Lisboa sends Adega Mãe’s Gouveio and Viosinho, Ad Undas Branco Reserva and Casal Sta. Maria’s 3000 Rosas rosé. Elsewhere, Trás-os-Montes sends both colours of Mont’Alegre Clássico 2025, the Dão Cabriz Colheita Selecionada at NOK 149.90 and Freire Lobo’s Sardanita Pelicular, the Douro OMA Douro Schist red and white, the Alentejo Herdade do Sobroso Reserva Branco and the Algarve Cabrita Negra Mole.
Portugal’s overall presence in Norway keeps growing. Vinmonopolet’s database lists 1,000 Portuguese products today, up from 973 when NorthSouth HQ took its September census. Portugal is seventh by number of products, behind France (13,035), Italy (6,378), Germany (2,862), Spain (2,204), Norway itself (2,144) and the United States.
Why it matters for the corridor
The basis range is where volume is in Norway. An order-range listing gives a Portuguese producer a presence in the catalogue, but the basis range puts the bottle in stores across the country. Two Bairrada sparkling wines entering it on the same day is a real gain for a category that Portugal has struggled to sell in the Nordics. It also shows how the system works: an importer that reads Vinmonopolet’s tender plan early and matches a producer to a precise specification can win shelf space that years of order-range listings do not. The next Portuguese specification in Vinmonopolet’s plan is an Azores white for January.
Sources: Vinmonopolet product database (vinmonopolet.no), product pages 21149801, 20964301, 21249201, 21050201, 21196501, 21196601, 21123701, 21050101, 21207705 and 21208001, read 31 October 2026; Vinmonopolet tender plan H1 2026 (specification 202611012), as reported by NorthSouth HQ on 26 October.