The Alentejo is one of the largest winemaking regions in Portugal. Its hot and dry climate in propitious to the process and has led to high investment in the winemaking sector, resulting in some of the best Portuguese wines and international recognition of Alentejo wines. The extremely sunny climate makes the Alentejo perfect for maturing grapes, while the very high summer temperatures make is crucial to water the vineyards.

The region is predominantly flat, although the Portalegre area near the Serra de São Mamede is hillier. The vineyards are planted on the steep hillsides of the mountain range or on the great plains and in the very heterogeneous soils of clay, granite, limestone and schist.

Most of the 22,000 hectares of Alentejo’s vineyards are in the eight sub-regions that come under the category of the Denominated Alentejo Origin wines: Reguengos, Borba, Redondo, Vidigueira, Évora, Granja-Amareleja, Portalegre and Moura. A wide range of grape varieties are planted in the Alentejo, some more relevant than others, either because of their quality or the area they cover. The most important white wine grape varieties in the region are Roupeiro, Antão Vaz and Arinto. In relation to the red wine grape varieties, the most important varieties are Trincadeira, Aragonez, Castelão and Alicante Bouschet (a French variety that adapted to the Alentejo climate).