The Rich History & Biodiversity of Alentejo, Portugal
“Sustainability is the new paradigm of the 21st century. Producers who do not make sustainability a core part of their business model will become progressively outdated, side-lined by consumers and, possibly, through new international policies.” João Barroso, Sustainability Coordinator, Wines of Alentejo.
Manueline style window.
With more than a dozen charming medieval castles dancing on hilltops, the Alentejo (ALEN-TAY-SHOO) region of Portugal is imbued with sustaining magic. Located just 90 minutes southeast of Lisbon in the central and southern part of the country, the Alentejo landscape offers wide open spaces, oak covered rolling hills, historic towns, unspoiled villages, and thousands of acres of olive tree orchards and vineyards. Alentejo produces refreshing, aromatic white wines and lively red wines. Portugal has the highest density of native grapes per square mile of any country in the world, and Alentejo alone has more than 250 indigenous grapes.
Fun Facts About Sunny Alentejo
About the size of the state of Massachusetts, the Alentejo has 56,500 acres under vine, about the same as the state of Washington, and slightly more than Napa’s 45,000 acres of vineyards. Alentejo’s 3,000 hours of sunshine annually is the highest in Europe, twice as high as Portugal’s average, and about the same as San Diego. The area averages the hottest summertime temperatures in all of Southern Europe.
With plains, mountains, hills, and valleys, Alentejo has rich, diverse soils derived from clay, limestone, quartz, granite, schist, sandstone, and others. The more fertile soils support wheat; meanwhile vines do better in more challenging soils which drive the roots deep to get nutrients.
Dotted with rocky outcrops, ravines, and cork trees, the region provides homes for a multitude of species. Biodiversity makes for a naturally healthy soil, rather than over-farmed, over-fertilized soil.
Over one-third of the world’s cork forests live in Alentejo, and provide a healthy ecosystem for a diverse range of species. Since cork bark is carefully harvested by hand only every nine years, it’s truly sustainable; this natural, renewable, reusable and recyclable resource benefits numerous species.
Alentejo’s capital Évora is a UNESCO World Heritage Site which features some of the finest examples of 16th century Portuguese architecture. A blend of flamboyant gothic and nautical themes, the architecture serves as an homage to Portugal’s famed maritime history that brought the country boundless wealth. These “Manueline” buildings appear encrusted with coral and carved barnacles, and are decorated with stone ropes, anchors, navigational instruments and other nautical symbols.
Wildflowers and grass amidst the sunny vineyards of Herdade dos Grous in the Alentejo region of Portugal.
The Romans, the Phoenicians, and Clay Vessels for Wine
In Alentejo, archaeological signs suggest wine has been an important part of life from ancient times to the present day, By the time the Romans arrived in the south of Portugal, viticulture was already well established, likely by the Tartessians, an ancient civilization based in the south of the Iberian Peninsula and heirs of the Andalusian Megalithic culture. They tamed the wild indigenous grapes, and introduced winemaking principles to Alentejo. The Tartessians were succeeded in the southern Iberian Peninsula by the Phoenicians, a civilization of maritime traders, and then followed by the Romans who called the province Lusitania, named after Lusus, son of Bacchus, the God of Wine. The Romans made wine in amphorae; in an 1876 text, the Portuguese called it “Roman system.”
But evidence suggests that the Phoenicians brought the use of amphora to the Alentejo 1000 years earlier, and Alentejo is the only place in Portugal where this Roman technique is still practiced-- and it’s one of two regions in the world to have made wine in this manner continuously. In Portugal, these large clay vessels, called talhas de barro, can be as tall as seven-feet, hold up to 520 gallons of wine, and weigh a ton. Since making these is practically a lost art, the ones that remain are cherished. Now that’s recycling!
The Ups and Downs of Grape Growing and Winemaking in the Alentejo
Antao Vaz grapes almost ready to be harvested for Herdade dos Grous’ white wine blend of indigenous grapes from the Alentejo region.
A few events upended Portugal’s wine production following the Roman period. The Arab occupation from 711–1249 uprooted vineyards to be replanted by wheat. With the Arabs expelled, the Portuguese royals ordered vines replanted, and then winemakers had to “donate” a portion of their wine to the kingdom. Some estates, like Quinta do Carmo, founded in the 1400s, still make wine today.
The development of the wine industry in the Douro Valley in the 1750s required farmers in Alentejo to once again uproot their vines; however, in the 19th century, a white wine won a Grand Medal of Honor at the 1888 Berlin Exhibition. A few years later, farmers established the Alentejo’s first co-op.
Phylloxera, wars and economic depression followed, but while the Douro, Dao, and Vinho Verde recovered, the Salazar dictatorship (1933-74), once again required many Alentejo vineyards to uproot their vines and return to growing wheat. With a change in political power following, Alentejo was back in the winemaking business with appellations established in the 1980s; production has quadrupled since then.
In 2015, the Wines of Alentejo’s Sustainability Program (WASP), launched. A volunteer program, they use data from the International Wine Organization (OIV) and adopt the best from sustainability programs in California and Chile. WASP was developed with input from the University of Évora, the Alentejo Winegrowers Technical Association, as well as individual Alentejo grape growers and wineries. The WASP program depends on the three pillars: environmental, social, and financial stability.
Important WASP initiatives include reducing dependence on pesticides and sprays by planting cover crops and hedgerows to attract insect-eating mammals and installing nest boxes or perches for insect-eating birds; using compost made from stalks, grape seeds, olive leaves, olive pomace and pruning to create a more active natural soil system, using sheep for weed control and manure, and encouraging cover crops for water retention and to prevent erosion; and integrating the winery in the community by assisting with school programs or firefighting, donations to charity events, or hosting “open house” days for families to visit the cellar.
Members represent nearly 50% of Alentejo’s vineyard area. Led by Luis Duarte, winemaker of Herdade Dos Grous, the first winery to be certified. Meaning estate of the cranes, Herdade Dos Grous’ property offers tranquility and rejuvenating nature where visitors can learn all about horse breeding, olive plantations, organic farming, and the cultivation of top-class wines.
Luis Duarte and his team at Herdade dos Grous worked really hard to achieve this WASP certification. His reward? In addition to helping others and the planet, he likely poured a glass of a wine made with his favorite Portuguese white grape, Arinto, which has good acidity and aromas, and works well alone and in blends like Herdade Dos Grous White Blend.
Get the Taste of Alentejo Portugal with Herdade dos Grous
2019 Herdade Dos Grous White Blend
Blend of Antao Vaz, Arinto, Gouveio
Color: Pale yellow/green
Nose: Lemon, minerality, salinity, hints of nectarine.
Palate: Silky, silty lemon drop, the acidity is mostly on the finish and kind of sneaks up one you. There is a river stone smoothness up front with lemon drop as the flavor. A most interesting quality of the wine is this texture and how it feels on the palate. While the flavor is wonderful, with hints of nectarine on the finish, the mouthfeel is fascinating.
Pairing: This easy drinking wine would be great with so many seafood dishes. Think sand dabs, linked, grilled halibut and so much more. Fantastic with oysters.
Simple fare from the sea partners perfect with the wine.
With so much Atlantic shoreline, no wonder the Portuguese eat more seafood than anyone else in Europe save Icelanders. Salted cod is a beloved Portuguese dish, with many variations, other with regional olive oil and herbs.
Paired with mussels and pork belly on kale with roasted vegetables, this wine loved the potatoes so much, fantastic, making for a great summer dish. The wine loves the herbs, the garlic, the richness of the potato, and the clean white meat. Fantastic with the steamed mussels which are so flavorful, with all of the herbs; the layers and complexity of the flavors are enhanced by the wine.
This combo of seafood and pork, is one of the Alentejo’s most distinctive dishes combines red pepper-marinated pork and clams with garlic. This wine would also pair well with wild and domestic.
This Portugal Explorer Wine Tasting Set includes 2 wines from 2 Portuguese wine regions: Alentejo and Duoro River Valley. With these 2 wines, you can taste the diverse landscape and terroir of Portugal. Both made from indigenous grapes local to Portugal, Herdade dos Grous White is a refreshing and balanced white blend, and Quinta de Valbom red is a delicious bold red blend that is like a port made into a dry red wine.
Herdado dos Grous and Quinta de Valbom winemaker of these wines, Luis Duarte, has been named as ‘Best Winemaker in Portugal’ by the press, and ‘Best Winemaker in the World’ by German magazine Der Feinschemecker.
Shipping is included for the Continental US for this set, as well as anything added on to your order.
Included in this box are:
