Alentejo Wine

There are two classes of wines from Alentejo, Vinho Regional (VR) and Denominacao de Origem Controlada (DOC). Situated in the southern half of Portugal and running through the country from the border right to the coast, Alentejo is noted for its cork production but its wines have been attracting attention. As was noted from the entry on Quinta do Carmo, such attention includes investment by the Lafite-Rothchilds in the estate prior to its buyout by Bacalhao in 2008.

The grapes of Alentejo include such indigenous ones as Alfrocheiro Preto, Castelao/Periquita, Trincaderia, other regional grapes as Tempranillo (known as Aragonez locally) and Palamino as well as "international varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Chadonnay. Although Alicante Bouschet was developed in France and still is the twelfth most planted red grape there, it is in this region that the grape is coming into its own and as I wrote in the earlier blog on the grape, my association with the grape is with Alentejo.