Grape Spotlight: Alentejo's Vidigueira Antao Vaz

During the Wines of Portugal tasting that I've previously written about, I spent a considerable time at one booth, sampling several excellent wines from the Alentejo DOC. This region is named for its southerly position from the Tejo river and occupies an area directly east of Lisbon to the Spanish border.  It is sparsely populated, hot and dry, and is best known for the cork industry. Yet, it is also a highly respected wine region with a generally wave-like topography that protects much of the land from the cooling effects of the Atlantic. This contributes to the production of rich, easy-drinking red wines, as ripeness is easy to achieve in these conditions. Thus wineries in Alentejo usually focus on red wine grapes: Aragonez (Tempranillo), Castelao, Trincadeira,  Alicante Bouschet, Syrah, and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The Alentejo DOC contains eight subregions, which span from the mountains to the hot, dry center of the region: Portalegre, Borba, Évora, Redondo, Reguengos, Granja-Amareleja, Vidigueira and Moura. During the tasting, I became very impartial to the white grape Antao Vaz, which historically is autochthonous to the Vidigueira region. 

Located in the heart of the Alentejo region, the lands surrounding Vidigueira have the perfect microclimate for the perfect vineyards. Bound in the north by the Serra do Mendro mountain range, which creates a natural frontier between the Upper Alentejo and the Lower Alentejo regions, the average annual rainfall here is higher and temperatures more moderate, despite its southerly location. The schist soil too offers perfect conditions and adds mineral notes to the wine. 

The Antao Vaz grape thrives in Vidigueira's hot and dry climate yet maintains a surprisingly high level of acidity. The berries are loosely clustered and thick-skinned, giving them good disease resistance, and even in drought-like conditions remain productive and evenly ripened. Antao Vaz is also versatile and how the grapes are harvested determines the type of wine produced. If the berries are picked early, they will be used to produce light, citrusy wines with good acidity, but if left on the vine for longer, they will give a rounder, plumper wine that can be barrel-aged.

Quinta do Paral is located in the Vidigueira sub-region and had a few varietal and blended versions of Antão Vaz at the Wines of Portugal tasting. The estate is composed of 102 hectares of mature vines, olive groves, and cork oaks situated around the village of Vidigueira. Some of the grapevines are over 40 years old including Antao Vaz.  The Quinta do Paral Estate Bottled Branco 2018 is a blend of equal parts Antão Vaz, Verdelho, Vermentino & Viognier fermented in stainless steel; and exudes ripe, tropical fruit flavors with citrus and honey overtones. In contrast, the Quinta do Paral Vinhas Velhas Branco 2018 is richer where the 70% Antão Vaz and 30% Perrum are fermented in French oak followed by extended aging on lees. This is an excellent Burgundian-styled wine and made using 50+-year-old grapevines.