The Alentejo has led the way in Portugal’s wine revolution.
Aside from the many tourist attractions in the region (such as the
towns of Evora, Borba and Estremoz), it is wine that is currently
putting the Alentejo region on the map, and more specifically, its
red wines.
There are two distinct styles of Alentejo red. First, there is what
can loosely be termed the traditional style.
These often combine earthy, herbal, undergrowth-like savoury
flavours and aromas with the fruit.
Traditional Alentejo wines are often complex and reasonably age
worthy.
Then there is the modern style which show lots of intense fruit,
with a richness that is quite ‘new world’ in character, and not a
million miles away from the style that has made Australian wines
such a success over recent years.
Both Alentejo styles are interesting and worthwhile, but it is the
latter, more modern group of wines that has been largely responsible
for putting the Alentejo on the map as one of Portugal’s most
important red wine regions.
• Alentejo DOC
Alentejo DOC itself has been divided into eight sub-regions, some with its own
DOC.
On wine labels, you'll see the sub-region's name after the regional appellation,
e.g. "Alentejo Borba."
Wines can also be labeled as Vinho Regional, under the "Alentejano" designation.
Growers in each sub-region favour different grape varieties.
• Vinho Regional (VR) Alentejano
CVRA Those wines of good quality from the Alentejo that don't adhere to the
stringent DOC restraints or fall outside the designated areas.
Some of Portugals most innovative winemakers decide to opt out of the
appellation system.
• Borba - Borba is the second largest Alentejo sub-region, stretching along the
axis from Estremoz to Terrugem, extending down through Orada, Vila Viçosa, Rio
de Moinhos and Alandroal.
The terrain is punctuated by unique soils, huge deposits of marble that have
made an indelible mark on vine growing and the character of the sub-region's
wines.
Substantial patches of red schist spread throughout austere and poor soil form a
markedly different typology in Borba, one of the Alentejo's most dynamic
sub-regions.
Borba's special microclimate ensures above-average rainfall as well as slightly
lower than average levels of sunshine for the Alentejo, producing wines that are
particularly fresh and elegant.
• Portalegre
Of all eight Alentejano sub-regions, Portalegre differs the most in originality
and character.
Here, nothing conforms to what is traditionally Alentejo, from soils to
vineyards, from altitude to age of the vines.
Vineyards are mostly found in the foothills of the Serra da Mamede mountain
range, whose rocky peaks may reach one thousand metres.
Altitude means the climate is cooler and wetter than the baking plains of
southern Alentejo, yielding fresh and elegant wines... yet equally powerful.
The predominantly granite terrain is interspersed with small patches of schist
in the lower areas.
Vineyards tend to be fragmented in these hills, divided into countless small
strips of very old vines, many of which may be in their seventies. Curiously,
French grape varieties Cinsault and Grand Noir have always been planted here,
one of the many eccentricities of Portalegre.
• Redondo - Serra da Ossa is one of the biggest hill ranges in the Alentejo,
reaching some 600 metres in height.
The hills dominate and demarcate the sub-region of Redondo,sheltering the
vineyards from northerly and easterly winds and furnishing cold, dry winters to
offset the hot, sun-drenched summers.
The land, despite being typically heterogeneous, is favoured with granite and
schist on the gentle south-facing slopes.
The protection provided the Serra da Ossa makes Redondo one of the most
consistent sub-regions.
• Reguengos
The largest and most prestigious Alentejo sub-region is formed of poor,stony
terrain filled with rocky outcrops that make the Reguengos countryside so
dramatic.
Schist soils and markedly continental climate of freezing winters and boiling
summers govern vine growing, yielding full-bodied and powerful wines with good
cellaring potential.
Despite its size, Reguengos landholdings tend to be fragmented with vineyards
tending to be smaller than the traditional Alentejo average.
Reguengos is home to some of the oldest vineyards in the Alentejo, safeguarding
clones and varieties that would otherwise be lost.
• Vidigueira
The Vidigueira fault, the natural landmark dividing upper (Alto) Alentejo and
lower (Baixo), also determines the sub-region of the same name.
The escarpment extends east to west for some 50 kilometres, influencing the
climate of Vidigueira, which although being the most southern of Alentejo's
sub-region is one of the most temperate.
The predominantly granite and schist based soils are not very fertile but they
support one of the Alentejo's most mysterious grape varieties - Tinta Grossa,
which also goes by the name of Tinta Barroca.
Despite being so hot and so far south, Vidigueira has always been famed for its
production of white wines, due to the protection of the Vidigueira escarpment.
• Évora
Way back at the tail end of the 19th century Evora was enjoying unimaginable
fame, regarded as one of the most attractive and admired sub-regions in the
Alentejo,birthplace of the region's most coveted wines.
However, firstly phylloxera and then the wheat-growing campaign of the Estado
Novo almost put an end to vineyards in the sub-region, forcing Evora into
oblivion.
There it languished until the end of the 1980s when Evora underwent a
renaissance, as the province capital and integral part of central Alentejo.
The hot, dry countryside is dominated by non-calcareous grey Mediterranean soil,
which produces some of the Alentejo's most prestigious wines.
• Granja/Amareleja
Granja-Amareleja lies in the surrounding area of Mourão, adjacent to the Spanish
border, and is conditioned by one of the most dry and harsh climates in
Portugal.
Extremely poor clay and schist soil permits only the lowest yields of
grapes,where lack of water is dictated by absence of organic matter and sparse
plant growth.
An area of such extremes gives life to wines packed with personality.
The scorching, dry summers give rise to early maturation, which produce smooth,
warm wines with high alcohol content.
One of the most characteristic grape varieties of Granja - Amareleja is Moreto,
which has adapted especially well to the region.
• Moura
The climate here is strongly continental, with cold winters and long, dry
scorching summers.
The soil is particularly poor, alternating between clay and limestone.
Topsoil is shallow, baked hard and tough on vines, but it does retain well what
little water there is.
Castelão vines dominate the region as they are best suited to the rigours of
such extreme weather conditions.
Moura wines show a soft, warm profile with consonant alcohol levels.
Traditional Portuguese grape varieties dominate the region, but newcomers such
as Syrah, Tempranillo and Cabernet Sauvignon are beginning to make inroads,
often blended with the local varieties: Alfrocheiro, Alicante Bouschet, Antão
Vaz, Aragonez,Arinto, Castelão, Fernão Pires, Manteudo, Moreto, Rabo de Ovelho,
Roupeiro & Tamar .