Grapegrowing in the Alentejo province

Agricultural Background

Cork tree plantations aside*, the Alentejo is currently going through a significant change with regard to its agricultural vocation. With intervention subsidies on cereals and livestock falling away to make way for a more market driven economy, most Alentejano landowners and farmers are seeking new ways to make their farms viable. Crops such as vineyards, olives, tomatoes and to a lesser extent sugar beet are currently the more popular options. With prices of the latter two “annuals” being directly controlled by the European Union, income from these crops is likely to continue falling as market forces begin to take hold.

* (the Alentejo produces over 50% of the world cork crop)

With the popularity of Alentejano wines increasing (a clear recognition of quality), both at home and abroad, numbers of new vineyard plantations are likely to continue increasing over the next few years.

Viticulture in the Alentejo

The Alentejo’s success can be partly explained by its warm and dry climate during the vine’s vegetative season, as well as by local varietal and soil factors.

Annual average maximum temperature: 20.5 – 21ºc
Annual average rainfall:550 – 650 mm. (< one-third in the vegetative season)




Soils are derived predominantly from granite or schist with medium to low fertility.

In the mid-1880’s grape harvests in the Alentejo totalled some 30 million Kgs. (30,000 tonnes). By the early 1900’s, the Phylloxera bug had succeeded in killing off the total vine population in the Alentejo. It was not before the 1950’s that vines (now grafted) began to reappear in significant numbers. This coincided with the appearance of the first wine co-operatives. By 1972, each of the important sub-regions of the Alentejo could boast a co-operative to make its wine. Although losing “share” rapidly to the private wineries, they are currently responsible for over 50% of all wines produced in the region (down from 90% in just a decade).

The Alentejo occupies only 6% of the total vineyard area in Portugal with some 13,500 hectares planted. It nevertheless occupies the highest national market share for “quality bottled wines” (75cl. bottles with a cork stopper) in both the Horeca sector (c. 30%) and in hypermarkets (c. 20%) [Nielsen, Jan 2000].

The Alentejo can be sub-divided into eight main wine-producing areas. Of these Borba, Redondo and Reguengos together produce around 90% of the total.

Wine Label Regulations and the Controlling Authorities

Regulations apply to three official categories of wine quality approved under national/EU regulations: DOC, VQPRD and IPR (in order of diminishing “official” quality recognition). These have limited relative importance. Since their introduction over the last decade and a half, most of these categories have lost their relative quality perception status due to abusive use by the co-operatives. Beyond the restrictions on the use of varieties planted, little importance need therefore be given to these. The controlling bodies are ATEVA (viticulture) and CVRA (wine and marketing), both based in Évora.

Locally Approved Varieties

Around 57% of all grapes grown in the Alentejo are red. This is forecast to rise over the next 5 years, perhaps to as high as 70%.

The most planted red varieties include Trincadeira and Periquita (56% of all red varieties). Around 58% of all white varieties are either Roupeiro or Rabo de Ovelha.

Unique to Portugal is its large genetic bank of premium varieties to be explored. This aspect holds considerable quality and commercial potential, as markets procure “alternative” premium varietal wines (an underlying quality-market trend).