Wines from Alentejo, Portugal

The Portuguese have been making wine for thousands of years. Port and Maderia have been exported to the UK for centuries. Yet, today there are great wines coming out of Portugal which have gone undiscovered except by the cognoscenti. 

In the past 20 years wine making in Portugal has got serious. After joining the EU, there were funds to invest in new technology. Coupled with the entrepreneurial spirit of regional producers, Portugal has today reinvented itself as one of the world’s most dynamic and exciting wine producers. 

For the first part of the 20^th century under the 42-year-long dictatorship of Salazar that finally ended in 1974, Portugal concentrated on mass market brands and was renowned in the 1970s and 1980s, for its the zingy vinho verde and the lightly-sparkling Matus Rosé.

Now, thanks to the numerous indigenous grape varieties, Portugal is producing some rather excellent quality numbers that are intriguing and diverse, which stand out from the crowd due to their individuality. 

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Courtesy of Turismo Alentejo

The region that has gained quite a reputation in Portugal’s wine revolution is Alentejo. Its wine cultivation has had its ups and downs over the thousands of years since the Romans arrived and expanded the vineyards they discovered in the region. 

Wine production flourished with the spread of Christianity. At the beginning of the 8^th century, the Muslims invaded the Iberian Peninsula. In the beginning wine making was allowed to continue, provided the producers paid the heavy taxes. As time passed, the Christians and their customs became insufferable and the laws of the Koran were strictly adhered to and wine making became prohibited. 

Over the centuries, wine production in Alentejo endured years of highs and lows including being hit by the wine disease phylloxera that ravaged Europe’s vines in the late 19^th century. Salazar’s resolve to turn Alentejo into a cereal-producing region reduced the amount of vineyards.

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Courtesy of Turismo Alentejo

 

The industry is back on track and flourishing more than ever thanks to the Alentejo Cooperative Wineries who were responsible for the initial success in making exceptional value wines that won over the Portuguese. It is easy to see why.

Covering one-third of Portugal, the Alentejo lies between Lisbon and the Algarve. Due to its diverse landscapes and extremely hot climate (it can reach 40C in the summer) wines from this area account for approximately half of the country’s domestic consumption and are gaining in popularity in the UK. As the estates tend to be large they can fuse modernity with tradition, quality with quantity, making good value for money tipples.

There are some great white wines from this region, but it is the unusual fruity reds brimming with character that are stealing the show. The Alentejo soils tend to be clay and limestone and the hot summers means that grapes ripen easily, making the wines deliciously smooth.

Reading the labels

Vinho DOC – Alentejo (Denominação de Origem Controlada (which means Registered Destination of Origin) is divided into eight sub-regions. They are: Portalegre, Borba, Redondo, Reguengos, Vidigueira, Évora, Granja/Amareleja and Moura.

You will often see Vinho Regional Alentejano on labels. This has more liberal regulations than Vinho DOC – Alentejo and also embraces smaller producers whose vineyards may lie outside the eight sub-regions as well as the well-known bigger producing companies. 

Another term you may see is Vinho Regional – Terras do Sado. This indicates that the wine has been produced in the northern part of “Coastal” Alentejo and belongs to the wine growing region of Setúbal.

Vinho Reserva are said to be the top of the range whether regional or DOC.

(I will look at grape types in another post.)

You will definitely eat and drink well in the Alentejo, so if you want a gastronomic experience that is a guaranteed treat for all your senses, this is the place to go!

By Daralyn Danns

Getting there

TAP Portugal (0845 601 0932, www.flytap.com) flies from Manchester, London Heathrow and Gatwick to Lisbon up to 9 times a day. Return fares start at £116 including all taxes and surcharges. I have now flown with this airline several times and can highly recommend them. Great service by a friendly crew 

Pousada de Beja, São Francisco
Largo D. Nuno Álvares Pereira
7801-901, Beja, tel: (+351) 284 313 580
Double rooms including breakfast from approximately €90
For more info and promotional rates visit www.pousadas.pt

A wonderful place to stay where you get a real flavour of Portugal – past and present

For more info on Alentejo visit Turismo do Alentejo, www.visitalentejo.pt/en

For more info on Portugal visit visitportugal.com/en