Tejo Region

In this article we will discuss another of the Portuguese Wine Regions, namely a wine-growing region located in the center and interior of Portugal, where the art of producing wine dates back to 2000 BC, namely when the people who occupied the region began planting vines along the banks of the river that gives it its name, we refer to the River Tejo, the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula.

History tells us that the King of Portugal, Afonso Henriques, made reference to the region's wines in the Foral de Santarém, dated 1170, and that Cartaxo exported 500 ships with barrels of wine that, in just one year, were worth 12,000 kings.

Located in the heart of Portugal, far from the sea, the Tejo region is intrinsically linked to wine production.

It is by right and merit one of the oldest wine-producing regions in our country, the historical facts of this ancient and noble nation.

The “Terroir

The wine-growing region we are discussing here is characterized by its location in the interior and center of Portugal, where the main orographic feature in the Tagus Region is the Serra de Aires e Candeeiros, a Natural Park by the way, delimiting what we can call the Upper and Lower Tagus.

In hydrographic terms, the River Tagus, due to its size and irregularity (floods), continues to affect agricultural activities in the region.

The region is bordered by Tomar, Ferreira do Zêzere, Sardoal and Mação to the north; Abrantes, Chamusca, Alpiarça and Almeirim to the east; Torres Novas, Alcanena, Rio Maior, Cartaxo and Azambuja to the west, and Coruche and Benavente to the south.

The Tejo wine region covers a total of 17,000 hectares and produces around 650,000 hectoliters a year, which represents around 10% of the national total. Of these, around 110,000 hectoliters are certified, of which 90% are Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) wines and 10% are Controlled Designation of Origin (DOC) wines.

You can order and taste wines produced in this region by clicking here.

For other Portuguese wine regions, click here.

Sources: Clube Vinhos Portugueses and CVR Tejo

The vineyard, however, is usually the crop least affected by floods, which occur less and less frequently, thanks to the management of flows by the various dams.

Historically, there are many references to Tejo wines. Like many other national and international wine regions, their names are associated with the rivers that cross them. In our case, the Tejo is undoubtedly the dominant element in this region, making a decisive contribution to both the various “Terroirs” and the climate.

A “rich” region

This is a wine-growing region full of historical arguments and gastronomic heritage, where an important event has been held for forty years, the National Gastronomy Festival in Santarém, the capital of Gothic.

A region full of history, where we find monasteries, convents, castles, cities, towns and farms belonging to noble families that were once vacation resorts and hunting seasons, the Tagus region is still governed by the tradition of breeding the Purebred Lusitano horse, which is inseparable from bullfighting.

The region is bordered by Tomar, Ferreira do Zêzere, Sardoal and Mação to the north; Abrantes, Chamusca, Alpiarça and Almeirim to the east; Torres Novas, Alcanena, Rio Maior, Cartaxo and Azambuja to the west, and Coruche and Benavente to the south.

The Tejo wine region covers a total of 17,000 hectares and produces around 650,000 hectoliters a year, which represents around 10% of the national total. Of these, around 110,000 hectoliters are certified, of which 90% are Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) wines and 10% are Controlled Designation of Origin (DOC) wines.

You can order and taste wines produced in this region by clicking here.

For other Portuguese wine regions, click here.

Sources: Clube Vinhos Portugueses and CVR Tejo

[22/11/2020]