Certification Process

The Comissão Vitivinícola Regional Alentejana (CVRA) – Alentejo Regional Winegrowing Commission – is responsible for overseeing all the thousands of litres that are produced, bottled and sold either under Alentejo PDO or Alentejano PGI classification. 
The certification process consists of 12 steps, starting with the approval of the lots, soils and vines to be planted, as well as the opening of a file for each producer that records their production and stocks. As soon as a batch of wine is finished, it is subject to physicochemical analyses and sensory testing. Next, the process continues with the approval of the label and the monitoring of the wines on the shelves, both in Portugal and abroad, in order to guarantee the product for the consumer. 
Certification is issued for the following products: white, red or rosé wines; fortified (liqueur) wines; white, red or rosé sparkling wines; pomace spirit and grape spirit.

MEANING OF PDO AND PGI

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Alentejo PDO

In order for a wine to be certified as Alentejo PDO it must have been made from grapes grown within one of the eight PDO sub-regions of the Alentejo:

Portalegre, Borba, Redondo, Évora, Reguengos, Granja-Amareleja, Vidigueira and Moura. Each sub-region has its own particular conditions for growing grapes, which confer its own unique character to the wines, owing to a terroir that has been explored since the time of the Romans.  

Wines certified as Alentejo PDO can, alternatively, mention the name of the PDO sub-region that they come from. 

Serra de São Mamede is a mountain ridge in the north of the Alentejo. It is the highest range south of the Tagus River and is an outstanding example of the region’s individuality. It confers an invigorating freshness on its wines that only altitude can bestow. Redondo and Vidiguiera are also protected by natural barriers, the Serra d´ Ossa range and the Serra de Portel range, respectively. Both areas benefit from a partnership with nature that ensures truly distinctive wines. Each sub-region has its own peculiar characteristics that differentiate its wines. 

 

1. Borba

Borba is the second largest sub-region of the Alentejo, stretching along an axis from Estremoz to Terrugem, and encompassing Orada, Vila Viçosa, Rio de Moinhos and Alandroal. The landscape of this sub-region is punctuated by massive marble outcrops that influence the viticulture and the character of the wines of this area. 

Substantial patches of red schist, appearing at random in the poor terrain, are the main divergence from the marble outcrops of Borba, one of the most dynamic sub-regions of the Alentejo.

Borba also has a unique microclimate which means it receives slightly above-average rainfall, and slightly lower than average levels of sunshine for the Alentejo region. This results in particularly fresh and elegant wines.

2. Évora

By the end of the nineteenth century Évora enjoyed an incredible reputation. It was considered as one of the most beautiful and admired sub-region of the Alentejo, the birthplace of many of the region’s most coveted wines. 

However, the phylloxera epidemic, followed by the campaign to cultivate wheat in the early twentieth century, resulted in a huge decline in the vineyard area, relegating Évora to forced forgetfulness.

It was not until the late 1980s that Évora, the regional capital of central Alentejo, saw a renaissance in wine production. The hot, dry landscape is dominated by brown Mediterranean soil and produces some of the Alentejo’s most prestigious wines.

3. Granja-Amarela

The Granja-Amareleja sub-region lies in the area surrounding the town of Mourão, bordering Spain in the east. This sub-region has one of the most arid and inhospitable climates in Portugal. 

Poor soils consisting of clay and schist, as well as a thin topsoil layer with low organic content, and a lack of water, give very low grape yields. 
These extreme conditions produce wines with a distinctive character. Scorching, dry summers result in early ripening of the grapes, which in turn produce warm, smooth wines with high alcohol content.

The Moreto grape variety has adapted particularly well to the harsh conditions of Granja-Amareleja, and is considered one of the most typical grape varieties of the sub-region.

 

4. Moura

The climate here has a strong continental influence, with huge temperature variations: cold, harsh winters and long, sizzling, dry summers.
The soils are exceptionally poor, dominated by clay and limestone and only a thin layer of topsoil. They are hard and inhospitable for the vines, but with good water retention properties. 
The Castelão grape variety dominates in the sub-region, having adapted perfectly to the extreme and challenging climate.
Moura wines are typically warm and soft, with correspondingly high alcohol levels.

5. Portalegre

Of the eight Alentejo sub-regions, Portalegre stands out from the rest with its very unique nature. In most aspects –from terrain and soil, vines, altitude and age of the vines – it differs from the other sub-regions. 
The majority of the vineyards are found in the foothills of the Serra de São Mamede, with some planted on the steep slopes that peak at over 1,000 metres.
The higher altitudes host a more moderate climate than in the rest of the Alentejo. The lower temperatures and higher levels of humidity yield fresh, elegant wines. 
The soil is predominantly granitic in origin, interspersed with small patches of schist in the lower zones. In the hills, vineyard ownership is very fragmented; consisting of a great number of small plots with very old vines, many over 70 years old. 
Grand Noir is one of the original, still prevailing, grape varieties planted in Portalegre.

 

6. Redondo

The Serra d´Ossa is one of the highest hill ranges in the Alentejo, with several peaks exceeding 600 metres in altitude. These hills define and demarcate the sub-region of Redondo, sheltering the vines from the northerly and easterly winds, and contributing to fairly consistent cold, dry winters, offset by hot, sunny summers. 

Soils are generally heterogenic, but with a higher incidence of granite and schist outcrops on the gentle south-facing slopes.
The protection provided by the Serra d´Ossa makes Redondo one of the most consistent sub-regions.

7. Reguengos

Reguengos is the largest of the Alentejo sub-regions, and has a dramatic landscape of poor, stony soil, scattered with a great number of rocky outcrops.
The schistose soil and pronounced continental climate, with cold winters and hot summers, have a strong influence on the viticulture in Reguengos, producing powerful and full-bodied wines, with excellent ageing potential. 
In spite of the sub-region’s overall size, vineyard ownership in Reguengos is very fragmented; the average area of the plots tending to be smaller than the traditional Alentejo average.
Reguengos is home to some of the oldest vineyards in the Alentejo, safeguarding clones and varieties that would otherwise be lost.

8. Vidigueira

The Vidigueira fault, a natural landmark separating the Alto (upper) Alentejo from the Baixo (lower) Alentejo, gives its name to the most southern of the Alentejo sub-regions. 

Extending from east to west, the escarpment of the Vidigueira fault imparts a particular anomaly to the climate: in spite of being the most southern sub-region, it has the mildest climate of the Alentejo.

The soil is generally infertile, mainly of granitic and schistose origin. Vidigueira is home to the Tinta Grossa, which some suggest is a heteronym for Tinta Barroca. Tinta Grossa is one of the most mysterious grape varieties of the Alentejo.

Notwithstanding its southerly location, Vidigueira took centre stage in the production of Alentejo white wines for many years – this largely due to the moderate climate that this sub-region enjoys.​

What is PGI?
What is PGI?

Wines certified as Alentejano PGI are made from grapes grown in the districts of Portalegre, Évora or Beja. 

Wines from outside of the PDO sub-regions can only be certified as Alentejano PGI. However, a wine produced within a PDO area can choose to be certified as PGI, as these wines are allowed to use a greater number of grape varieties, a factor which favours innovation and a wider range of wines.

The decision to seek certification as Alentejano PGI transcends the question of geography. Instead it is more closely tied to the issue of looser regulations and greater freedom to select grape varieties. Under this certification, non-native varieties can be blended with the traditional Alentejo ones. So it is not only those producers located outside the eight PDO sub-regions who seek out the PGI category. A great number of traditional producers are seeking this category as well. 

 

For Retail

The process of certification serves as a guarantee of quality for the customer. People naturally presume that a wine that has undergone a certification process is of quality, because the buyer automatically realises that the procedures entails a set of norms and rules that are pre-defined and that are followed, firstly, by the winemakers and then by all the specialists who monitor the process.  

For the Restaurant Sector

We don’t want to merely serve a lunch or a dinner. We intend to offer an experience, the perfect marriage between a meal and the selected wine. The process of certification is an essential method that we know begins at the vineyard and extends all the way to the bottle’s label, where the customers can read about the wine that they have chosen to enjoy at that moment. 

For the Government Wine Regulatory Organisation

The IVV has supported the sector as it promotes the various regions and their products both domestically and abroad. Throughout the certification process, the different actors show off the value to be found in their regions – how the grapes and the wine are fruit of the nature of Alentejo, for example. In Portugal, the quality control is very rigorous, which serves as an additional mark of quality for the consumer. 

For a Wine Producer

The process of certification is oftentimes invisible to the consumer but it reflects the quality of the wines. Behind the wine that arrives at our tables, there is a long process that begins in the vineyard and continues in the transformation of the wine. This is a process that not only provides security for us but also for our consumers. It stands to benefit us all. 

 

PRODUCERS

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