Southern Portugal

Question 1

Palmela

Answer 1

Setubal pennsula, between Tagus and Sado rivers near the coast. Warm maritime climate with mild winters and warm summers. Adequate rainfall, mostly in winter and sprig. Principally limestone soils on the hills and sand on the plains. Vines mostly low trained on wires to allow mechanisation. Stainless steel with temperature control widely used. Old and new oak casks used for ageing.

Perquita- Black grape, produces many styles; medium and full bodied reds, roses and white sparkling.

Cabernet Sauvignon- permitted for the DOC

Fernao Pires- soft dry white.

Question 2

Alentejo

Answer 2

Stretches from Ribatejo to the Spanish border, large area. Continental climate, low rainfall and hot summers. Loam soils with granite and schist. Traditionally low trained bush vines. New plantings trained to wire for mechanisation. Yields kept low. Experimentation with canopy management techniques. Irrigation permitted.

Trincadeira- Dark, plummy wine with hints of coffee and chocolate, enhanced by oak ageing.

Aragonez (Tempranillo)- Used for blending

Roupeiro and Antao Vaz- Full bodied whites with flavour of honey. Some wines aged in oak to provide depth and complexity.

Arinto- Acid retaining white variety, blended with Roupeiro and Antao Vaz to add crispness.

Question 3

Algarve

Answer 3

The southernmost province of Portugal, now better known for tourism than for wine (see map under portugal). There is, however, evidence of a long winemaking tradition in the Algarve, principally fortified wines. The entire province is designated as a vinho regional and its four dops were centred on local co-operatives at Lagos, Portimão, lagoa, and Tavira (only one of which now remains). The climate and soils of the Algarve are generally thought to be better for citrus fruit and cork trees than vines but private investment in a small but growing number of boutique wineries has proved that the Algarve can produce medal-winners. Still, attaining phenolic ripeness can be challenging. The popular British singer Sir Cliff Richard has helped put the Algarve on the wine map by planting a vineyard and building a winery near the resort of Albufeira.

Question 4

Southern Portugal- Typography and Soils (Palmela)

Answer 4

• Inland from sea town of Palmela, 30kms south west of Lisboa; between Tejo and Sado rivers.
• Limestone soils in the hills and sand on the plains.

Question 5

Southern Portugal- Climate (Palmela)

Answer 5

Warm maritime climate with warm summers & mild winters.

Question 6

Southern Portugal- Grape Varieties- Red (Palmela)

Answer 6

Periquita aka Castelao

• Vine that thrives in sandy soils but can adapt to various conditions
• Many styles from medium to full bodied wines, rosés & sparkling
• Most planted red variety; mainly found in south coast regions

Others: Cabernet Sauvignon, Alfrocheiro

Question 7

Southern Portugal- Grape Varieties- White (Palmela)

Answer 7

Fernao Pires

• Most planted white grape in Portugal
• Does well in relatively warm climates with large volumes of simple, honeyed, slightly spicy dry whites

Others: Muscat of Alexandria, Arinto

Question 8

Southern Portugal- Viticulture (Palmela)

Answer 8

10,000ha. Vines mostly low trained on wires to allow for mechanisation.

Question 9

Southern Portugal- Winemaking and Wine Styles (Palmela)

Answer 9

• Stainless steel and temperature control now widely used.

- Region known for its Moscatel de Setubal dessert wines but recent move to dry red and white unfortified.

Question 10

Southern Portugal- Production (Palmela)

Answer 10

0.4m hl/yr including dessert wines.

• Key producers:

o Bacalhoa (ex JP vinhos) – 13m btls/yr

• Founde by ex Fonseca
• Mass producing winery with atypical and typical wines from mass market to elite wines.

o Fonseca – 12m btls/yr
- Family company that originally produced old fortified Setubal Muscat and diversified into excellent wines
in all price categories

o Santo Isidro cooperative – 8m btls
- Exemplary good cooperative with fruity red wines with fine barrique nuances.

o Casa Ermelinda Freitas – 2m btls
- Family-run winery with oaked-aged Chardonnay and Moscatel (stocked by Laithwaites in the UK)

Question 11

Southern Portugal- Typography and Soils (Alentejo)

Answer 11

• ‘California of Portugal’; south-east of the country from Ribatejo to Spanish border.
• Loam soils with granite and schist

Question 12

Southern Portugal- Climate (Alentejo)

Answer 12

Dry continental climate with hot summers (up to 35C) and low rainfall

Question 13

Southern Portugal- Grape Varieties- Red (Alentejo)

Answer 13

Trincadeira

• Prone to rot -> performs better in hot, dry climate
• Wines are dark, full bodied w aromas of plum w hints of coffee & chocolate, enhanced by oak ageing

Aragonez aka Tempranillo

• Black grape w thick skin that ripens early (temprano: ‘early’)
• Thrives in chalky soils & moderate climates for better acidity & elegance
• Little resistance to pest and diseases
• Wines are med->full bodied, low to med+ acidity, w med tannins and flavours of strawberry, cherry, raspberry & plum. Oak and ageing add flavours of herbs, mushrooms, leather & tobacco

Others: Alfrocheiro Preto, Alicante Bouschet, etc.

Question 14

Southern Portugal- Grape Varieties- White (Alentejo)

Answer 14

Roupeiro
- Full bodied whites with flavours of honey when blended w Antao Vaz

Antao Vaz

• Traditional Alentejo variety
• Firm structure & character

Arinto

• Hi acidity wines with lemon notes
• Blended with Roupeiro and Antao to add crispness

Others: Fernao Pires

Question 15

Southern Portugal- Viticulture (Alentejo)

Answer 15

• 23,000ha. Traditionally low bush vines but new plantings on trellises to help mechanisation. Yields usually low.
• Experimentation w canopy management; irrigation permitted.

Question 16

Southern Portugal- Winemaking (Alentejo)

Answer 16

Temperature control essential esp. for whites.

Question 17

Southern Portugal- Production (Alentejo)

Answer 17

• 0.8m hl/yr; with production of reds exceeds whites. Enjoying a rapid expansion a la California in the 60-70s.
• Production used to be dominated by 6 large cooperatives but estates have mushroomed. Key producers:

o Reguengos de Monsaraz cooperative – 10m btls
- Largest cooperative in Alentejo and one of the first to shift to more quality wines e.g. Garrafeira dos Sócios

o Joao Portugal Ramos – 1m btls
- Star oenologist initial winery. Key wine Marques de Borba.

Question 18

Tejo

Answer 18

DOP and vinho regional (called Ribatejo until 2009) in central-southern Portugal. It corresponds to the province of the same name on both sides of the River Tagus (Tejo) inland from the capital Lisbon (see map under portugal). Its new name reflects a desire to distance it from its historic reputation for vast quantities of indifferent wine produced by its co-operatives from ultra-high yielding vines grown on the river’s fertile floodplains. Of its six DOP subregions (Almeirim, Cartaxo, Chamusca, Coruche, Santarém, and Tomar), Almeirim and Cartaxo (each, quantitatively at least, still dominated by a large co-operative) have been the most important. However, since the late 20th century, soils not subregions have come to define the region’s best wines. Large, family-owned agricultural estates, which started to make wine themselves in the 1990s rather than selling to the co-operatives, led the migration to poorer soils, grubbing up vineyards along the river, and concentrating production on less fertile, well-drained sandy soils, calcareous clay, and sandstone. New plantings favoured better-quality vine varieties such as castelão and trincadeira for reds and fernão pires for whites, but also introduced touriga nacional from northern Portugal and such international varieties as Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvigon Blanc, Chardonnay, and Viognier. Around the same time the region also benefited from major investment by two export-focused enterprises, Falua and Fiuza, whose brands helped raise the region’s profile with bargain-hunters abroad. Regrettably, the region’s most ambitious newcomer Vale D’Algares swiftly became a casualty of the global credit crunch. However, the promising white wines which it produced, together with the improved quality of dop and Vinho Regional wines, attest to Tejo’s potential.

Question 19

Terras do Sado

Answer 19

former name of península de setúbal.

Question 20

Península de Setúbal

Answer 20

vinho regional in southern portugal (called Terras do Sado until 2009) encompassing the setúbal Peninsula between the Tagus and Sado estuaries and, to the south, the Troia Peninsula and a 60 km stretch of the Alentejo Litoral (see portugal map). The warm, maritime climate is particularly well suited to winemaking. In the 19th century, the north-facing slopes around the village of Azeitão were planted with a number of different Moscatel (muscat) varieties for sweet, fortified Setúbal but, since this wine’s decline in popularity, other varieties have largely taken their place. Production is concentrated in the hands of one of Portugal’s best co-operatives, Cooperativa Agrícola de Santo Isidro de Pegões and two companies José Maria da Fonseca Successores in Azeitão and Bacalhôa Vinhos de Portugal (previously known as J. P. Vinhos ) whose skilled oenologists, trained respectively at davis in California and roseworthy in Australia, helped to modernize the region’s winemaking. Accordingly, the Península de Setúbal now produces a wide range of wines, from well-established brands such as Periquita to single-estate wines such as Quinta da Bacalhôa. Within the region is the Palmela dop, which has two distinct terroirs: the limestone hills of the Serra da Arrabida, and the sandy soils of the plain which extends eastwards from the fortress town of Palmela. Here, the widely planted, traditional castelão grape (which must represent at least two-thirds of any DOP red) performs at its best. Its distinctive, structured wines are capable of ageing well in bottle. Where the rules are more relaxed for VR Península de Setúbal, Castelão (here nicknamed Periquita) has become less important, especially where Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Syrah (and for whites, Chardonnay) have been grown so successfully on the limestone Arrabida Hills. Other grape varieties from the north of Portugal such as touriga franca, touriga nacional, and more recently alvarinho have taken hold here, too. To the south (on the Troia Peninsula and in the Alentejo litoral area) a number of ambitious single estates were established in the early 21st century. The grapes of the alentejo have been most popular, especially alicante bouschet, Aragones (tempranillo), and trincadeira—although one producer has made a name for itself with a Sangiovese. Wines here tend to be full-bodied.

Question 21

Palmela

Answer 21

dop on the Setúbal peninsula in southern Portugal.

Question 22

Alentejo

Answer 22

DOP and vinho regional (known as Vinho Regional Alentejano) in southern portugal corresponding to the province of the same name.

dop wines must come from one (or more) of eight subregions: portalegre, borba, redondo, reguengos de Monsaraz, granja-amareleja, vidigueira, évora, and moura, which may appear on labels. Many good DOP producers prefer to label wines VR Alentejano, however, while some outside its DOP regions (notably in Beja) must be labelled VR Alentejano, despite their wines’ evident high quality.

The sparsely populated Alentejo represents one-third of mainland Portugal and, in contrast to the north, cereal farms and cork plantations (latifúndios) stretch as far as the eye can see. For centuries, the Alentejo’s main link with wine was cork. Around half the world’s cork supply is grown in Portugal, nearly all stripped from Alentejo’s cork oaks. Southern Portugal bore the brunt of the military-led revolution that rocked the Lisbon establishment in 1974 and 1975 and the economy of the Alentejo was still in disarray in the early 1980s. However, as a result of financial assistance from the eu it has enjoyed a reversal of fortune. The injection of funds allowed the co-operative wineries in the towns of Portalegre, Borba, Redondo, Reguengos de Monsaraz, Granja-Amareleja, and Vidigueira (each built with government support in the pre-revolutionary 1960s and early 1970s) to improve wine quality and develop exports. Moreover, it resulted in an increase in the number of ambitious, privately owned estates from 45 to 260 between 1995 and 2010. By 2010 Alentejo not only commanded the biggest share of the domestic market in quality wines (in volume and value), but had also charmed export markets with its generous, fruit-led wines. By 2014 vines were planted on more than 20,000 ha/49,400 acres. Large farms offer considerable economies of scale compared with the smallholdings (minifúndios) of northern Portugal. Summer temperatures frequently exceed 35 °C or even 40 °C (104 °F) and the climate in much of the Alentejo is not naturally conducive to the production of fine wine. However, cooler locations such as the higher Portalegre and Borba and Alentejo’s water-retentive bands of schist help, as does modern technology. temperature control and irrigation, which supplements an annual rainfall total that rarely reaches 600 mm/23 in, is essential. The production of red wine—principally blends from aragonez, trincadeira, alicante bouschet (which flourishes in the Alentejo), and castelão grapes—exceeds white, although a number of producers make surprisingly good blends of antão vaz, roupeiro and arinto. verdelho, alvarinho, and viognier also look promising.