I'm rather excited about receiving these six white wines from Portugal's Alentejo wine region -- a region of rolling plains that covers more than 30% of Portugal and is the largest in the country. Alentejo is located a 90-minute car ride to the east of Lisbon and is a hot and dry Mediterranean climate influenced more by the continent than by the Atlantic Ocean or the Mediterranean Sea. Since Portugal has the highest density of native grapes per square mile of any country in the world, it's no surprise that there are plenty of autochthonous grapes in Alentejo like Antão Vaz, Arinto, Viosinho, and Fernão Pires. The region is also home to many international white grape varieties such as Roupeiro (Malvasia), Verdelho, Vermentino, and Viognier.
The
Alentejo DOC consists of eight sub-regions:
Borba,
Évora,
Granja-Amareleja,
Moura,
Portalegre,
Redondo,
Reguengos and
Vidigueira. In general, these sub-regions share a common soil structure alternating between schist, clay, marble, granite and limestone. Borba, Évora, Redondo and Reguengos are the core of Alenejo's identity where the wines display a balance between freshness and fruit, intensity and softness. The sub-regions of Granja-Amareleja, Moura and Vidigueira are located in the southern areas of the appellation where the climate is harsher and soils more nutrient-poor. Wines from this region are softer with more minerality. Portalegre is the most unique sub-region, with predominantly granite soils, and influenced by the Serra de São Mamede. Vines are planted on the steep slopes of the mountain and benefit from a microclimate that delivers both freshness and complexity.
Culturally, Alentejo has experienced the influences of numerous civilizations from the Phoenicians, Greeks, Celts, Romans, and Moors. The Phoenicians introduced the knowledge of writing (the Iberian script is based on the Phoenician’s), the potter’s wheel, and contributed to expanding the arts of agriculture, navigation and iron metallurgy in the Iberian Peninsula (Phoenicians and Greeks in the Iberian Peninsula). The Celts perhaps introduced brewing to the region with archaeological evidence showing beer production over 2.5 - 3 thousand years ago. The basis for the Latin cremor, Portuguese cerveja, and Spanish cerveza is thought to be the Proto-Celtic word kormi. The Romans had the largest impact on viticulture and wine made in Alentejo was perhaps the first export of Portuguese wines to Rome. The marks of Roman civilization are still noticeable over two thousand years later with the continued use of trimmer or clay jars for the fermentation of musts and the storage of wine. And the conquest by the Moors did not completely eliminate these practices and the remnants of that civilization can be seen in the numerous castles, Muslim mosques, and walls built to protect the cities.
I started my tasting with two Colheita wines, each from the Reguengos and Évora sub-regions. According to their website,
Herdade do Esporão, the boundaries of the estate were first established in 1267 and have been unaltered since then. They have 450 hectares of vines planted with 194 grape varieties, 37 of which are in full production. In 1973, José Roquette and Joaquim Bandeira bought the property because the Reguengos sub-region "ensures wines that were full-bodied but elegant and both big and seductive, thanks to a mix of very poor, stony soils and a harsh climate". The first wine was produced in 1985 using the brand name Esporão. The
Esporão Colheita Branco 2021 ($18) is made from organically and estate-grown
Antão Vaz,
Viosinho, and
Vermentino grapes that were partially fermented in concrete tanks. After fermentation, the wine was left on the fine lees for 4 months. The wine is very complex with a tropical nose, lemon and stone fruitson the velvety palate, and a spicy, funky, lasting finish
Évora shares a common topography as Reguengos' continental climate wth the soils derived from schist and clay-limestone. In 1989
João Portugal Ramos planted five hectares of vines in Estremoz after almost a decade as a consultant oenologist which had culminated in establishing his winemaking consultancy business
Consulvinus. He chose Estremoz to make his own wines after working in all the main wine-growing regions of Portugal. The first wines were produced in rental facilities which established the Vila Santa brand. In 1997, the construction of the Vila Santa winery in Estremoz commenced as did the birth of the Marquês de Borba Reserva brand, with the Colheita label following the next year. According to the winery, "the label remains the strongest brand in the group showing unwavering consistency year after year".
The Marques de Borba Colheita White 2020 was assisted by João Maria Ramos as two of his five children have continued the family business. This wine is a blend of Arinto, Antão Vaz, and Viognier from hand-harvested grapes that were fermented in stainless steel tanks. The result is a wine showing white flowers and citrus aroma, white stone fruit, and minerality, with a structured and lasting finish. Most impressive.
Notes on the Grapes:
Antão Vaz: Versatile, perfumed and shows great solo or blended, Antão Vaz is Alentejo’s white star. This hot-climate variety is highly resistant to drought and disease, producing consistently reliable yields which ripen evenly.
Arinto: Alentejo's best white blending variety, thanks to its exuberant acidity. Discreet aroma. Green apple, lemon, and lime freshness and mineral notes. Arinto has large leaves for shading and super-high acidity, making it well suited to the hot Alentejo climate.
Viosinho: Grown primarily in northern Portugal, it makes a full-bodied wine that adds structure and acidity to a blend along with floral and stonefruit flavors. Its wines are often described as having notes of apricots and peaches
