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.
That represents a 69% increase on the 5.5 million bottles sold in 2019, highlighting the exponential growth the industry has enjoyed in recent years. Brits account for 96% of the sales, but demand is increasing in export markets too. English and Welsh wines have proved particularly popular in Scandinavia, with exports to Norway rising by 85% year-on-year in 2021. In the UK, more than half of the sales are direct-to-consumer, either via the cellar door or a winery’s website. However, sales in sup ...
Duckhorn Portfolio said it has acquired around 20 hectares (50 acres) of Napa Valley vineyards via separate deals. This includes 16 hectares (40 acres) of the Stanly Ranch vineyard in Los Carneros and the four-hectare (10 acre) Red Wing vineyard in St. Helena, said the group, which is listed under the ‘Napa’ ticker on the New York Stock Exchange. ‘As our portfolio has evolved to include 10 renowned luxury wineries, our commitment to having a robust estate vineyard programme continues to be centr ...
Josh Jensen was famed for producing elegant, silky Pinot Noirs at Calera Wine Company on the Central Coast. Leading wine critic Robert Parker Jr once described Calera – the company that Jensen founded in 1971 – as ‘California’s Romanée-Conti.’ Jensen completed undergraduate studies at Yale, but his love of fine wine blossomed while completing an MA in social anthropology at Oxford University in the UK. He was a key member of the rowing crew at both universities, but he still found time to devel ...
