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Location: Southern Portugal, mainly south of the Tagus River, with Spain to the east.
Regional frame: Portalegre, Évora and Beja are the three districts covered by Alentejano IGP.
Landscape: Broad plains and rolling country contrast with the higher Serra de São Mamede in the north.

Main influence: A Mediterranean climate with strong continental influence: hot, dry summers and cooler winters.
Ripening: High sunshine and summer warmth favour ripeness; drought and heat can challenge vine balance.
Cooler sites: Altitude around Portalegre and the Serra de São Mamede moderates temperatures.
Variation: Exposure, elevation, soils and harvest timing matter; Alentejo does not mean one uniformly heavy style.

Diversity: Granite, schist, clay, limestone and marble-derived soils all occur in the region.
Terrain: Much of the landscape is gently rolling, but northern hillside vineyards provide an important contrast.
Practical effect: Soil depth, drainage and water supply affect the vine; a rock name alone does not establish a wine’s flavour.

Aragonez: The same grape as Tinta Roriz and Spain’s Tempranillo; a major red blending reference.
Trincadeira: Also called Tinta Amarela; can bring red fruit, herbal spice and acidity. Its sensitivity to rot favours dry conditions.
Alicante Bouschet: A French-origin teinturier grape with coloured flesh, often contributing deep colour and structure.
Other Portuguese grapes: Castelão and Alfrocheiro are further useful regional references.
Wider range: Touriga Nacional and Syrah also appear; this is a principal selection, not the full authorised list.

Antão Vaz: Closely associated with Alentejo, especially Vidigueira; often gives body and ripe fruit, with freshness shaped by picking time.
Arinto: Valued for acidity, often with citrus or green-apple notes; useful in warm-climate blends.
Roupeiro / Síria: Roupeiro is the regional name for Síria, often fragrant and citrus-floral when young.

Reds: Often ripe and generous, ranging from approachable fruit-led wines to firmer, structured examples; alcohol and oak vary.
Whites: Range from fresh, aromatic blends to fuller, textured wines; the warm region also makes balanced whites.
Rosés: Red grapes can make pink wines with limited skin contact; check sweetness and weight on the actual bottle.
Beyond still wine: Sparkling and fortified categories also exist, but still wines and Talha are the focus here.

Alentejo DO / DOC: The protected origin covers eight delimited subregions and has its own grape, production and certification rules.
Alentejano IG / IGP: A wider geographical indication covering the three districts; Vinho Regional Alentejano is the familiar label wording.
Producer choice: A wine made inside a DO area may qualify instead as IGP, which offers broader grape and style flexibility.
Certification: CVRA certifies both. DO and IGP identify distinct regulated origins, not a guaranteed ranking of individual bottles.

Vessel: The grape mass ferments in traditional Alentejo clay talhas; the method is more than ageing a finished wine in clay.
Contact: The grape mass stays in the talha from fermentation’s start until at least 11 November of the harvest year.
Origin: The adopted August 2026 rule permits the term for qualifying DO Alentejo and IG Alentejano wines.
Colours: White, red and palhete are recognised; Talha does not automatically mean orange wine.
Restrictions: Sweetening, enrichment and wood or wood substitutes are prohibited throughout production.
Sale: Certified Vinho de Talha is marketed in glass bottles; approved grapes and certification rules also apply.

Start with style: Ask for colour, freshness, body and oak preference before recommending an Alentejo wine.
Red options: A fuller, structured red can suit roast lamb, pork or savoury vegetable dishes; match the wine to the preparation.
White options: A fresh white can suit lighter fish; a broader, textured example can work with richer fish or poultry.
Bottle check: Check maturity, temperature and sediment. Decant only when the individual wine benefits.

The eight names: Portalegre, Borba, Redondo, Reguengos, Évora, Vidigueira, Moura and Granja-Amareleja are subregions of one Alentejo DO.
Portalegre: The northern Serra de São Mamede foothills provide a cooler, higher-altitude contrast to much of the region.
Reguengos & Vidigueira: Reguengos is an important inland red-wine reference; Vidigueira is a useful southern white-wine anchor alongside Antão Vaz.
Reading a place name: A subregion may accompany Alentejo on a qualifying label. These names do not create eight separate national DOs or a quality ladder.

Alentejo preserves a clay-vessel winemaking tradition associated with Roman practice. In 1876, João Ignacio Ferreira Lapa described the talha method as the Roman system, distinguishing it from methods using lagares.
The expansion of cooperative wineries in the 1950s contributed to a decline in commercial talha wine. The practice survived in homes, taverns and some wineries before attracting renewed commercial interest.