I grew up in northern Sweden where black and red currants, rasp- and gooseberries were part of the (almost) daily diet. Now I’m retired and live in northern Portugal. We have three months of rain in the winter, the occasional frost, but my poor granite soil drains extremely well. Our summers consist of three months with temperatures in the 90s. Are there any berries I can grow which would recreate my childhood experiences?
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Raspberries, gooseberries, blueberries.
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Amelanchier service berries - pretty, flowering small trees or large bushes with a blue berry that I think tastes better on somewhat alkaline soil like yours. Flavor is an almond blueberry cross.
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Any particular cultivars
Also I live in an area with very hot dry summers and wet winters. I have had zero success with the berries you named in sunny areas but a Pixwell gooseberry, two black currants, and huckleberry are growing slowly but well in heavy afternoon shade. I moved my struggling blueberries into deep raised beds and have constructed shade domes to throw over in the hottest weather. We will see how they do this summer.
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I’m hardly the berry expert here, but I’ve lived my whole life in parts of California with similar climate.
Invasive Himalayan blackberries run wild here, particularly on embankments close to residential areas where they can steal irrigation. I wouldn’t recommend that variety because they’re invasive, but indicates to me that blackberries will work. I’ve got a marionberry that does well with zero supplemental water, I don’t know if it got water during establishment since it was here when I moved in.
I have strawberries on irrigation in my community garden plot that have unfiltered intense sun sunrise to sundown and they are nice and lush.
I’ve also heard raspberries do well in the cooler, more costal areas but haven’t tried them myself.
I’ve got southern highbush blueberries (emerald and jewel) in containers that do totally fine with irrigation and some afternoon shade
Edit: I’ve never seen a currant or gooseberry in my life, if that’s any indication
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I also live in a part of California with similar weather. Strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries are the easiest in my climate. Raspberries need some protection from afternoon heat. Eastern exposures work for me. Gooseberries and black currants do okay with filtered light, but they do not get enough winter chill where I live and yields are erratic. I have not tried red currants.
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Arbutus unedo might be worth a try for northern Portugal. It’s native to that region so it handles the granite soil and summer drought without complaint, and the berries are edible though not to everyone’s taste. Not a replacement for currants but it would thrive where most soft fruit struggles.
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I don’t think these will recreate your recreate your childhood experiences, but in Phoenix, Arizona, I grew blackberries, mulberries, blueberries (in containers), Grewia asiatica, Grewia occidentalis (tiny fruit, but beautiful flower), Eugenia carissoides, and Eugenia uniflora (‘Zill Dark’ is the best tasting variety*).*
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Have you tried some of the gooseberries and currants? I’m in very swampy Maryland 7b and they grow just fine for me. I do have clay soil though, so I don’t have the watering issue you might have. We also have wet cold winters.
Maybe try elderberry? You do have to cook them though and can’t eat them off the bush. The syrup has a grape + black berry flavor to it. It’s unique and very good. I think the blue elderberry grows in dry soil? It’s out in California and stuff, I have very limited knowledge about it.
You could maybe also do bush cherries?
My suggestion for planting in hot n humid with the ribes is to plant in the fall to let them establish before getting blasted with heat n humidity.
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I think the problem with the Ribes plants and the brush cherries are the chill hours. Even if you can get them to grow, they probably won’t produce zone 9b. There are some exceptions, there is a wild, gooseberry in north Florida (Ribes echinellum), but it is endangered, so impossible to get. Elderberries are an excellent suggestion. I grew the Mexican elderberry (Sambucus nigra subsp. caerulea) in Arizona, it is surprisingly drought tolerant.
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The person who may be the most qualified to answer is @Luisport. He grows an amazing variety of fruits in Fátima.
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Me? Qualified? 
Im not but whats the question?
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Totally missed the zone 9, yeah probably won’t get the chill hours needed.
Mulberries, aronia, goji berries, blackberries, raspberries, cherries, blueberries.
I am also located in Portugal and am experimenting with blueberries. Due to availability a mix between northern and southern highbush. I planted them in a cooler microclimate in a mixed pine and oak forest. So far they are doing very well, they are fruiting more than I expected in their first year.
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the clove currants will tolerate heat and drought but not likely to find them in Portugal.
I’m in 8b with mild rainy winters and hot dry summers. Both blackberries and some raspberries (polana) are exceedingly vigorous here. I give the raspberries afternoon shade.
A great thanks to all of you for wonderful ideas and suggestions. To summarize briefly:
- Don’t expect berries that grew well in northern Sweden to grow in northern Portugal.
- The exception might be some particular cultivars (polana raspberries and a few others)
- Better to focus on berries and fruit indigenous to Portugal (elderberry, arbutus unedo)
- But in any case afternoon shade is crucial. Berries are not Mediterranean herbs, they don’t like scorching heat.
- There are berries popular in North America that might do well (blueberries, bush cherries, Grewia asiatica, and a few others.)
Thank you again. Now off to experiment in the garden 
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Arbutus unedo is worth adding to that list — it’s pretty much native to Atlantic Portugal and handles the wet winters and summer drought without complaint. The fruits aren’t to everyone’s taste fresh but they make decent jam and the tree itself is genuinely ornamental.
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If I lived in northern Portugal, with your great weather, I would plant Arbutus andrachne. It’s a beautiful tree! I saw one while visiting L.A. It’s much pretty than the unedo and the fruit taste better too.
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