Portugal: Alentejo DOC

Question 1

Alentejo: Climate

Answer 1

• eight sub regions
  -Mediterranean with hot dry summers and mild winters- inland have the most extreme termperaturesd
  -Rainfall is 500mm on average mainly in autumn and winter
  -irriagation is neccesary

Question 2

Alentejo: Soils

Answer 2

• plains and gentle slopes awith a wide range of soils from granite, schist and limestone ( sand to clay)

Question 3

Alentejo: Viticulture

Answer 3

• trained and trelissed to VSP
  -Replacement cane are gradually declining due to the need for skilled labour during pruning
  -very sparsely populated

Upper Alto -Alentejo are less hot and dry - vineyards planted at 800m = cooler, fresher higher acid wines

Vineyards are small, orchard sized with old field blend varities

Question 4

Alentejo : Grape Varieties

Answer 4

**Top planted black - 75% of all plantings
**Aragonez- early ripening , harvest time is important , best in cooler sites

Alicante Bouschet - red fleshed grape deep colour, acidity and tannins and red black berry fruits

Tricadeira -good in dry climate and produces high yields , needing canopy mangement - Medium tannins and acidity, blackberry and spice

Also , Touriga Nacional for colour, and interantional Syrah. Cab Sauv, and Petit Verdot
Wines range from inexpensive to prem aged in oak - can age for a decade in bottle
eg. Cartuxa

**White Grapes **

Roupeiro - good acidity suited to warmer areas - youthful wines have citrus and stine fruit - not made to age

Arinto - good acid , used in blends

Antao Vaz - tolerant of drought and best in dry warmer sites
Range of styles from full bodied, oaked , tropical fruit and Tahla wines with evident skin contact
Can lack acidity so is blended
Good to very good , inexpesive to mid priced

Chardonnay and Vioginier also permitted

Vinho de Tahla DOC - 2010 -for wines on skins in Tahla ( amphora ) - traditional method undergoing renaissance

Question 5

Alentejo : Wine Business

Answer 5

• larger sales than any other region
  37% domestic market by volume and 40% by value
  -Brazil, Switzerland, USA and Angola

area with larger land holdings - young vines
High sunshine hours and dry summers, with lots of flat topography, it has attracted high volume, cost effective mechanised viticulture

Focus on wine tourism given its proximity to Lisbon - deginer wineries and large cellar doors also making olive oil and Iberian Ham - pioneered in the 90’s by business men