The production of wines with Alentejo Denomination of Origin (DO) and Alentejo Geographic Indication (GI) is subject to new specifications, announced by the Vine and Wine Institute through a notice published in the Official Gazette. Among the main changes, the reference to the maximum altitude of 700 meters applicable to the Portalegre sub-region has been removed.
Regarding labeling, the designation "old vines" is now permitted for wines obtained from grapes from plots where at least 75% of the vines are 35 years of age or older. The designation "century-old vines" is allowed when the vineyards were planted before 1931. For both designations, the maximum yield per hectare is 5,000 kilograms for Alentejo DO and 7,500 for Alentejo GI.
The designation "talha wine" is also now permitted, provided the wines are produced through the traditional winemaking process in traditional Alentejo amphorae, with fermentation of the grape must inside the amphora from the start of fermentation until at least November 11 of the vintage year. Talha wines must be produced exclusively from a specific set of grape varieties, which includes varieties such as Alicante-Branco, Antão-Vaz, Aragonez, and Castelão, among others.
The wines covered by these new rules cannot be sweetened, nor can practices be used to increase sugar content or alcohol by volume. They must also fall within the white, red, or rosé (palhete) categories and be sold exclusively in glass bottles.
