Alentejo

Alentejo is one of the largest wine areas in Portugal.
Alentejo means 'alem Tejo', beyond the Tejo / Taag. The region has the nicknames "the grain barn" and "California of Portugal".

The Alentejo, together with the Douro, is the region with the most innovation, new experiments and new grand cru's.

The Alentejo region covers about a third of Portugal, and winemakers in the remaining two-thirds can often be heard to complain about the popularity of Alentejo wines. The climate is hot and harvested starts as from mid-August.

The reds, easy drinkers, rich and fruity, are the darlings of Lisbon cafés and restaurants, and can also be found on wine lists in the whole country.

Today, Alentejo is known for its red blends, which are just as warm, generous and easygoing as the people who live there (who are said to have three speeds: slow, very slow and immobile). They are blends of Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, in addition to the non-local native varieties Touriga Nacional and Touriga Franca. White, a strength of Herdade do Esporão, is on the rise as the local grapes Antão Vaz and Roupeiro are made in a more fruity style and blended with Arinto for freshness, or with Verdelho and Viognier

Most of the Alentejo consists of undulating plains and gentle hills, with serious mountains only in the north east, where, near the town of Portalegre, the São Mamede mountain range rises up by the border with Spain, and the air becomes cooler and the countryside greener.

Soils vary greatly: schist, pink marble, granite, limestone, often laid upon a sub-layer of water-retaining clay.

DOP Alentejo has eight sub-regions that together cover about a fifth of the Vinho Regional Alentejano region, but these are rarely seen on a label. It makes sense to take advantage of the name Alentejo (or Vinho Regional Alentejano). Seven of the sub-regions are clustered fairly centrally. Portalegre lies well to the north east on the granite foothills of the São Mamede mountains, where higher rainfall and cooler temperatures especially at night, along with many old vines, gives complexity and freshness.

Borba, Évora, Redondo and Reguengos are more typical, and make smooth, harmonious, very easy-drinking reds. Conditions are more challenging in Granja-Amareleja, Moura and Vidigueira, with poor, limestone-based soils and a significantly hotter climate. Nonetheless, a new generation of producers, particularly around Vidigueira, has shown the potential of these southern parts of the Alentejo.

The white Antão Vaz is the star grape of the region, with good acidity and tropical fruit flavours. It also responds well to barrel-fermentation. Arinto and Roupeiro also offer precious acidity; white Diagalves, Manteúdo, Perrum and Rabo de Ovelha make up the blends.

Aragonez (Tempranillo) is the most widely-planted red grape.

The red-fleshed French grape Alicante Bouschet is often the inky, treacley backbone of red blends. Alfrocheiro, Castelão and Trincadeira also have valuable parts to play, with Moreto, Tinta Caiada and Tinta Grossa padding out some blends.

However, many of the new generation of Alentejo reds incorporate imported grapes such as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon, made as Vinho Regional. © Wines of Portugal

Typical white grapes form the region

Antão Vaz

Rabo de Ovelha

Roupeiro

Síria

Verdelho

Viognier

Typical red grapes from the region

Alfrocheiro

Aragonez (also called Tempranillo or Tinta Roriz)

Moreto

Tinta Caiada