Alentejo DOC (Denominação de Origem Controlada) is one of the largest wine producing areas in Portugal, located to the southeast of the country, on the border with Spain. Its name derives from the Tagus River (Tejo, in Portuguese), which flows from mid-eastern Spain to the Atlantic Ocean in Lisboa, making the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. Its continental climate with cold winters and very hot summers makes the area suitable for crops like grains and olives, while it is also one of the main producers of cork in the world. Alentejo DOC is divided into eight sub-regions, mostly producing structured red blends based on Alfrocheiro, Alicante Bouschet, and Trincadeira, while the predominant white grapes varieties are Arinto, Antão Vaz, Fernão Pires, and Verdelho. In 2013, Alentejo established the first “Wine Sustainability Programme” in the country, in support of fair and clean ecological, social and economic practices in the winemaking industry. The program has been so successful that it has been copied by many regions around the world!
Try Quinta da Fonte Souto Branco and Tinto here.
Author: Maytte Rivera
