Tejo">Alentejo is a well-known, highly respected wine region in eastern Portugal. This hot, Dry area covers approximately a third of the country and is best known for its red wine, the best of which are sold under the and Alentejo DOC (Denominacao de Origem Controlada) title.
Wine from Alentejo is typically made from Aragonez (Tempranillo), Castelao, Trincadeira or a Rich, ripe, jammy blend of the three. Antao Vaz is the white variety of choice here, producing a good level of Acidity and tropical fruit flavors.
Although famously diverse in its portfolio of wine grapes (navigating the many names and their synonyms is a challenge), Alentejo has not been sluggish to adopt such globally popular varieties as Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. One of the most remarkable things about modern Alentejo winemaking is its ability to create a uniquely Alentejano wine style from quintessentially French grape varieties.
The region is named for its position South of the Tejo river, which bisects Portugal, entering the ocean near Lisbon. Alentejo extends across about a third of Portugal, with only the Algarve region separating it from the southern coast of the country.
Even the briefest of glances at a population density map of Portugal shows that this area of the country is only very sparsely populated, in stark contrast to the Northern coastal areas around Oporto. Land here is used (somewhat intensively) for the production of various cereal crops, and the cork for which Portugal is so famous. Whereas the cork plantations of the north are quite small, here in Alentejo there is sufficient free space for the thick-barked Quercus suber trees to sprawl out all over the countryside.
The Size of Alentejo means that there is a wealth of Terroir, and it is fairly difficult to generalize about the region as a whole.
Ardbeg single malt whisky, based on the southern shores of Scotland’s island of Islay, has recently unveiled Fon Fhòid: the latest in a number of highly unusual experiments. Back in 2014, the distillery team lead by whisky creator, Dr Bill Lumsden and former distillery manager, Mickey Heads (now retired) took the highly unusual approach of burying two already matured casks of Ardbeg underneath the peat bogs themselves, (burning peat smoke is normally used to dry the malted barley during producti ...
Medway councillors in Kent have voted against plans to build the ‘Kentish Wine Vault’ English winery on ‘green belt’ land located in a designated Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), surrounding the small village of Cuxton. Plans for the major winery development were submitted by Vineyard Farms Ltd, sister group of MDCV UK Ltd, which is controlled by Mark Dixon, the billionaire British businessman resident of Monaco. Designed by leading architecture group Foster &am ...
This month marks a year since we launched the Decanter Wine Club in partnership with Wine Access. So to celebrate this milestone, we’ve taken a fresh look at our approach to ensure we’re giving our members both the best wines and the best value subscription. We started the Club with a choice of two offerings, but after feedback from our members we’ve decided to amalgamate the best of both into one ultimate package. We will still deliver six bottles every three months, but now it’ll be a careful ...
