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Alentejo, What to know! I found the most exciting development in Alentejo wines is their Talha focus, accordingly, this will help them to expand their global outreach in wine markets.
What You Need To Know
My media group arrived in Lisbon, gathered together, then headed straight to the Moorish, whitewashed colors of Gothic Évora. Advance plans had been mostly per-arranged, by the Wines of Alentejo. and Creative Palate. We immediately began a high-impact education, for the next eight days. It began with either an introduction or reintroduction on this media tour, with a possibility of 20 unique locations, and off we went.
Things Morphed A Bit In Scheduled Events
Perhaps word spread that we were in town as it began to expand. Maybe the vintners had not yet formalized their own schedules to possibly coinciding yet. And, it could have just been a fluid event that just had a “be here now” character to it (most likely choice). Whatever it was, each day was filled with an ever-expanding lotus, and mostly related to Alentejo ~ What To Know. That really was the cohesive agenda for us all to grasp. It truly was a remarkable education and might be really intriguing for possible visits, if the bug ever catches you.
Strolling through the city, we began our tour. Martin Redmond, Gwendolyn Alley, and I had been to Evora once before. Both Gwendolyn and I had not been to this area, however, Martin Redmond had to it. LM Archer and Rich Cook had not been to Alentejo, so this part of the city was eye opening and exciting.
10th November | Friday | Day 1
City of Evora’s West Side, photo by Jo Diaz© All rights reserved
Exploring Medieval Évora, Alentejo’s Wine Region
I found it astounding that Évora was founded by the Celtic tribe of Eburones, in the 8th century BC. It was inhabited by Romans Visigoths, Moors, and Portuguese over centuries of time. The city has been the seat of a bishopric, since the 5th century, and was raised to an archbishopric in the 16th century.
Today, Évora is the largest city in the Alentejo region of Portugal, and is known for its beautiful architecture, friendly people, and delicious food and wine. It’s also home to the second oldest university in Portugal, which is housed in a stunning medieval building. Évora has a history that spans over 8,000 years, making it a truly ancient and fascinating city.
Medieval Évora, Alentejo wine region, is the Western side of Evora, and dinner that evening, after exploring its history, was at Fitapreta Vinhos ~ One dark and mysterious night.
The 8-Day Journey Continued
As a group, we experienced six straight days of people, places, and things, all related to the Wines of Alentejo. The schedule was extremely busy. With each experience, we got to explore separately, too, at our own individual pace. Time to observe, meander, listen to each story. Body language was another give away of how passionate they are; mostly of who they are and what they’re currently producing in their areas of expertise. And seeing in action, the relationship between a loving father and his son and their future dreams were right before my eyes.
It was a mix of every conceivable possibility, as I witnessed this young son learning the craft from his father Daniel. He was allowed to turn the spigot, releasing wine into a waiting bowl, at the bottom of a Talha. Everyone, including me, got into line to taste the wine from the earthen vessel, to taste the natural richness coming from an earthen pot. All of that, to those at the helm of larger estates, showing us the highs of the properties. Think of the highest point in the Alentejo region, looking toward Spain. And think of creating a winery hillside, to take advantage of gravity flow benefits.
Cork tree harvested in 2007, it would have been harvested again in 2016, and again in 2025. photo by Jo Diaz© All rights reserved
Our Base Was Evora
We were housed in Evora as our central base, so we could travel both near and far with more ease. The Alentejo is referred to as the “California of Europe.” In some respects, maybe. But living in the heart of California’s Bay Area, with the most concentration of wineries, they’re very different. This is also what makes Evora very unique. Simple example: Missing in California are a concentration of cork trees. This makes the Alentejo splendid traveling through their cork forest, and is has the highest concentration of cork trees in the world.That’s what I want to run with.
Moroccan-styled tiles aren’t in San Francisco, but are found-in-plenty in Portugal, including Evora. This is a beautiful cultural difference, which I find illustrious at every turn..
Native Varietal Wines
Portugal uses wines from their own native varieties, whereas California uses mostly grapes found throughout France. These varieties are consider traditional European grapes, which American palates have grown to love. Americans can say only two wines: Cabernet and Chard. Saying “Chard” for me is like fingers on a blackboard. Maybe I’m an elitist, maybe I want to hear more. I want to see people expand their horizons and Portugal was just a culture jog. I needed to be there to reset my wine world.
And Portuguese foods are really hearty, while San Francisco’s style is a hodgepodge of Spanish, seafood, sour dough, and Asian.So, I don’t think of Portugal as similar to California.
Traveling Through The Cork Region
Missing in Portugal also are the density of locations between Napa and Sonoma, which is a bit of an advantage, speaking quite truthfully. Also missing in the Alentejo, it’s not near water, like we are. It’s nearly 90 miles, from the Atlantic Coastline to Evora. (I’m from Maine, I grew up without density, this made me a country gal. Alentejo day trips allowed for us to enjoy their countryside. More like Maine). And, we only hit ranges, as looked toward Spain, near the boarder of Portugal and Spain.
As we traveled though the Alentejo, cork trees were ever present. They are marked with a number from that year of harvest (above photo). Nine years later, the cork is thick enough to be harvested, again. It felt like returning home, when I saw trees just harvested.
View of a cork tree, in the middle of their vineyard, at Adega Mayor. Photo by Jo Diaz© All rights reserved
The Culture Of Alentejo Wines
This is a rural region. Unlike the US wine areas, there are no true wine densely, populated areas, like Napa or Sonoma, for instance. To go from Évora to a winery, one has to strap on a seat belt and take the scenic route. That means driving through cork tree plantations, otherwise known as cork forests. Trees zip by with a number on them, the year they were harvested; so nine years later, they know when they can be harvested again.
Knowing ahead of time that the famous Black Pigs roam freely as wild, I also kept a sharp eye on the lookout. (Didn’t spot one.) The black pigs have several functions: they eat the acorns falling from the oak trees (ground fertilization), they’re great at uncovering truffles (human harvesting), and they might also be tonight’s dinner (referred to a Black Pig). There are no pens, there are no hormones, there are no unsanitary conditions, they’re not fed slop. They’re wild and free, and delicious in every sense of the word, with only one bad day, as the saying goes.
Wild boar (sus scrofa ferus) standing in forest in the summer time. Wildlife in natural habitat. Purchased image. All rights reserved.
A Major Learning Experience
From the Website of XXVI Talhas: “In Vila Alva, a typical village located in the heart of the Alentejo, there is a great culture and tradition of making wine through this artisanal method, introduced by the Romans more than two thousand years ago. The ‘know-how’ has passed from generation to generation, which has allowed this production technique to be a reality in this village until today. “A major experience for me, this time in Portugal, was to learn about Talhas (pronounced as Talihas), and the distinguishing features between Amphoras and Talhas.
Future Talia Winemakers are being trained, now, as he looks up to dad. Photo by Jo Diaz© All rights reserved
Special Mention ~ Talhas
Winemakers, if you’re even thinking about using amphora, you need to read this one. Breezing Through Talha Tales? Impossible, and here’s why. It didn’t take me long to figure out that I couldn’t be just breezing through. I started by wanting to absorb the details of history from author Dr. Paul James Whites.
But, his last 12 years of absorption, from being “there” firsthand (meeting, and researching), wasn’t a walk in the park for me to read. Nor was it a book to be read over a cup of coffee. It’s a book that requires significant concentration, effort, and engagement. It’s intellectually demanding.
I found myself taking it almost page by page, assimilating each one for a while, before going onto the next. Please don’t get me wrong, what was intricately woven in amazingly wonderful way. Paul created a dense tapestry of ideas that required my careful consideration. His findings have illuminated new perspectives on an old subject matter, for wine appreciators. And therein lies the magic.
Dr. Paul James White with the completion of Talha Tales, Portugal’s Ancient Answer to Amphora Wines, Jennifer Mortimer Publisher/Editor
Dr. Paul James White with the completion of Talha Tales, Portugal’s Ancient Answer to Amphora Wines, Jennifer Mortimer Publisher/Editor
Talhas Everywhere & Every Use
Then, there are things, like Talhas (pronounced talias), now considered indigenous clay vessels to the Alentejo. And, they’re mostly producing indigenous wine varietals, with a different terroir (as evidenced by the color of their red soils). The foods, the wines, the cultural differences, the vibes, each had a unique message… The Components of the Alentejo.
Photo by Jo Diaz© All rights reserved
Hey JO (great title for an old song I used to dance to, BTW),
I don’t know anyone who captures the magic of Alentejo as well as you, pure stardust stuff. And I can’t think of anyone who deserves to find a thick walled, whitewashed old house in a tiny village where you can just hang out for a couple of months soaking up even more of what’s there to discover at the slowest pace possible. Just over the hill from the village where we had a talha winery crawl one Sunday, is the ruin of the largest Roman villa-winery in Iberia, a couple of miles further is a Roman bridge and a dam, both straddling river beds that dried up hundreds of years ago. And smack dab in the middle of everything is a sky-pointed neolithic megalith that hardly anyone knows about, one that would take you back another 4,000 years or so in time. Over a few hills there’s a stone circle overlooking Evora to rival Stone Henge. All these places lack ticket offices or fences and other tourists. Places you can take a picnic or a bottle of wine and howl at the full moon. There is so much unspoilt magic in Alentejo I feel guilty sharing it for fear of spoiling what’s still there. When asked, I used to say forget Lisbon or Porto, go inward. Now I just say, no definitely you should go to Lisbon. Hope we meet there again someday, Jo.
Before I go, my take on California of Portugal. I’d never heard that one, but for years it was known as the Australia of Portugal. Given very strong Australian winemaking influence in 1980-1990s and that a lot of its output then was aimed at replacing cheap Aussie cabs and chards on UK supermarket shelves. But I can see California in Alentejo too. Smushed up against the Atlantic are some newer vineyards facing cool seabreezes that rival Santa Cruz or Sonoma Coasts. And the hotter central areas have hot spots that rival Napa, Dry River and Central Valley. Some of which are tempered by elevation or hills open to the ocean. At the cooler, windy high country of Portalegre can temper temperature along lines of Russian River or Mendocino. Surprisingly, there is a wider degree of climate influences than I realized in my earliest days there. The major difference is the grapes they grow have been growing there for 4-5000 or more years and are specifically adapted to those places. So much to discover!
Paulo Branco = Paul White! How Clever! I am Tejo, like the river. Te – you, jo – so me. The next time I’m in Lisbon, I’m claiming the river as mine!
Meanwhile, I am so enamored with your writing, and so delighted to call you my friend. I don’t know anyone who captures amphorae from our ancient past better than you. I have the star dust, you have the earth’s dust. If I was ever given that opportunity, I’d never come back, just ship my kids over for holidays. They really deserve to celebrate Portugal style.
People deserve to read your books, about the best part of our historical past. I hope we meet there again some day. Wishing makes it so. I got to return this past time. I need to make it a home run.
https://www.wine-blog.org/index.php/2024/06/15/breezing-through-talha-tales/
Indeed. It’s impossible to discover it all in one lifetime, even when born into it, like the child in my story at Talha XXVI, learning from his winemaking father “the craft.”