Little is known about the Portuguese grape variety Vital. Their origin is believed to be in northern or central Portugal. For a long time it was confused with Malvasia Fina, but DNA analyzes have shown that the two grape varieties have nothing in common. Vital is very productive and fertile and therefore capable of producing good yields. In contrast, it also tends to shrink berries and is susceptible to drought stress as well as powdery mildew and downy mildew. It rarely really ripens under dry and warm conditions. After medium budding, ripening occurs after a short to medium-long ripening period. It achieves its best results on fertile soils under cool conditions, with little exposure to wind. It has reached its greatest distribution in central Portugal, especially in Lisboa, Tejo and Alentejo. In most cases it quickly loses its youthful fruit and freshness, which is why the wines should be drunk young. It is very often blended for precisely this reason. In isolated cases it has been possible to produce longer-lasting wines with a certain development potential from the vital grape. The variety is not found outside of Portugal.
This grape variety is also known by the name of:
Boal Bonifacio, Malvazia Corada, Malvasia Corada, Malvasia Fina, Malvasia Fina de Douro, Malvasia Fina do Douro
