About
Founded in 1954 and inserted in the Natural Park of Serra de São Mamede, the Adega de Portalegre-Winery has been distinguished by the quality and originality of its wines.
The region of Portalegre is a unique terroir, allowing Adega de Portalegre to create its wines with a huge eccentricity, singularity and personality, expressed by the numerous national and international awards that it has been receiving for over more than 60 years.
Nowadays the Adega de Portalegre Winery is one of the most emblematic producers of the region, which envisions the production of wines that reflect the essence of this unique terroir.
DOC Portalegre
Portalegre is one of the 8 DOC (Designation of Controlled Origin) regions of the Alentejo, but the most distinct due to its originality and character. Here, everything is different from the rest of the Alentejo. The soil, the grape varieties, the altitude and the age of the vineyards.
The vineyards are located in Serra de São Mamede, between 600 and 700 meters of altitude, i.e., fresh, elegant, but powerful wines.
The grape varieties used give a great eccentricity to the wines, being many and varied, such as Aragonez, Castelão, Trincadeira, Alfrocheiro, Touriga-Nacional, Moreto, Tinta-Caiada, Alicante Bouschet, Grand Noire and Cinsault, (red grapes), Arinto, Fernão-Pires, Antão-Vaz, Bical, White Alicante. Malvasia,-Fina, Dialgalves, Syria, Rabo-de-Ovelha (sheep's tail), White Galician Muscat, Perrum, Trincadeira-das- Pratas, etc., (white grapes).
The soils are granitic, and the vineyards are fragmented in small portions on the slopes of the sierra, the majority are more than 70 years old.
Environmental sustainability
The wine production is totally dependent on natural resources, the sun, the climate, the water and the soils, therefore there should be an integration of these elements in an ecologically healthy eco-friendly way. The Adega de Portalegre has an ever present concern for the adoption of environmentally responsible agricultural practices, as well as in the management of natural resources in a rational and responsible way. Energy efficiency, the reduction of water consumption and the use of recyclable materials are constant goals throughout the process, from the vineyard, to the glasses we have on our tables.
Natural Park of Sierra de São Mamede
The Natural Park of Sierra de São Mamede is located in the border region of the northeast of the Alentejo, occupying an approximate area of 56,000 ha, distributed by the municipalities of Portalegre, Castelo de Vide, Marvão and Arronches. The highest geographical spot of the Sierra is at an altitude of 1.025m, the highest point southwards of Tagus.
There are contrasting reliefs in the Sierra. To the south we have the presence of a soft and wavy relief, at an altitude varying between the 300 and 400 m. The so-called Portalegre Plateau, located between the 400 and 500m, forms a kind of transition zone between the typical Alentejo plain and the highland zone. Here, the landscape is dominated by the "Montado" (florests of oaks, cork oaks, holm oaks and chestnut trees).
The Sierra itself is at an altitude above the 800 m, where we find a landscape crossed by quartz crests and prominent reliefs. Here predominate the oak woods, Castinçais, cork oaks cohabiting with broom, rockrose and carqueja, merging the Atlantic and Mediterranean influences. Parallel to this type of vegetation we find many animal species such as the Iberian midwife toad , the Iberian frog, water lizards, snakes, boars, partridges and birds of prey such as the eagle of Boneli.
Among the flora and fauna, the vine cultivation stands out in small, old vines scattered throughout the Sierra, in an unparalleled harmony. The soil and the climate conditions, relief, altitude and temperature of the region, amount and regularity of solar light, occurrence of rain, wind and humidity, in conjunction with human interference through the cultural practices of the vine, create a terroir of unique excellence, giving a distinctive and unique identity to the wines of Sierra de São Mamede.
