Tuning in to Tejo

It’s a region that’s established itself as one of the most progressive in Portugal, producing fresh, balanced and authentic wines that chime with independents. Here’s a beginners’ guide to set the scene In association with Vinhos do Tejo

The Tejo wine region shares its name with the great Portuguese river inland from Lisbon. Having a body of water flowing through the heart of the landscape helps bestow a freshness in the wines that has become a hallmark of the region. Days are warm, rather than scorching hot, and generally dry. Nights are cooler and moist, often followed by early-morning mist. The river Tejo also supplies all the water required by wineries in their production processes. What’s not required is returned back to the waterways in good condition, helping keep nature in balance.

Winemaking in Tejo has been part of the way of life since Roman times. At one time the region was called Ribatejo, but is now better known in its shortened form. Tejo has been one of Portuguese wine’s big success stories of recent years. More than 80 wineries – many family-owned for generations – and four progressively-minded co-operatives produce more than 30 million litres of certified wine each year, making Tejo the fifth largest of Portugal’s 14 wine regions.

Bairro is one of three distinct terroirs in Tejo, providing ideal conditions for red wine production. Located to the north and east of Tejo’s right bank, it’s dominated by clay-limestone soils, with schist also occurring near the city of Tomar.

Campo is a sub-region where the alluvial soil is more fertile. Mornings can be foggy and humid, followed by very hot afternoons and cold nights. White grapes are at home here, notably the Fernão Pires variety.

Charneca is a sandy, gravelly subregion with a generally drier and warmer climate than most of Tejo. Located south and south east of the river, it’s a landscape where grapes mature quickly and wines are noticeably concentrated.

Tejo is proud of its indigenous varieties. The main white grapes are Fernão Pires, Arinto and Verdelho, but international stars like Chardonnay and Sauvignon

Blanc also achieve impressive results. Among the reds, many independent merchants focus their attention on Castelão, Trincadeira, Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet and Aragonez. But Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon from Tejo also have their devotees.

As Tejo has capitalised on its ability to make world-class premium wines, growers have naturally spent more time working on expressing their terroir, lowering yields and working as sustainably, and in tune with nature, as possible. Of course, these aren’t new ideas. But the objective isn’t to return to an idyllic, pastoral past. The wines that Tejo makes today are aimed squarely at a discerning 21st century consumer, which is why producers have been investing in modern methods and equipment to produce wines that can be rich and complex, but crucially are also balanced and approachable.

Wine tourism is gaining momentum in Tejo. Some of its estates are among the oldest continuously operating wineries in Europe. All welcome visitors, and several estates now have restaurants and hotel facilities. Holidaymakers can also spend some time admiring Tejo’s Lusitano horses, the medieval city of Santarém or the bustling riverside city of Tomar, with its Knights Templar fortress.

Portugal has been on fire in the independent trade for a while now, and it shows few signs of cooling off. David Williams looks at why it’s still generating such excitement

An export success story

It took a while. But whenever I speak to the UK’s Portuguese wine specialists, I get the impression that, after years of hard work from importers and their producers, British perceptions of Portuguese wines finally reached a tipping point sometime around the end of the last decade.

Those importers no longer have a sense that buyers in all parts of the trade – on and off, independent and multiple – must be persuaded of the quality and value on offer. Buyers are, rather, actively coming to them to source Portuguese wines, with a variety of styles, regions and brands now becoming staple listings.

That feeling is very much represented in the sales data – and not only in the UK. According to figures released by generic body ViniPortugal at the end of February, total Portuguese wine exports had reached their highest-ever value by the end of 2022, at €923m, up by 1.52% versus the same period in 2021.

That follows a significant period of growth that has seen Portuguese wine add 8% in value and 7% in volume since 2019. The UK is responsible for a significant portion of modern Portugal’s progress, with imports of €83m placing it in third place overall, behind France and the US.

According to ViniPortugal president Frederico Falcão, the results were all the more impressive given the context of “a