Algarve Wine Region Guide

Geography and terroir

Whether the Algarve is a serious challenger to Alentejo is a good subject for debate; the latter region has had longer to work on its act. But there is no doubt that the balmy climate and dry autumns are highly conducive to quality wine growing. Separated from Alentejo by the Monchique mountains, rainfall during harvest time is almost unheard of along the Portuguese south coast. Instead, growers can anticipate warm sunny days and cloudless skies extending into October – sometimes November! This is why late-ripening varieties, such as Syrah and Touriga Nacional, are the first choice for many Algarve producers. Left on the vine until September, the berries are packed with sugar, ripe tannin, and flavor. Indeed, achieving full physiological ripeness in the Algarve is seldom a challenge. One could even say it comes all too easily.

Of course, there is a downside to abundant sunshine and warm evenings. Specific sites are liable to produce ‘cooked’ wines: flabby and cursed with unwieldy alcohol – the inevitable concomitant of all that sunshine and heat. For that reason, many growers have become fixated on seeking higher-elevation sites that offer all the benefits of diurnal temperature variation. This refers to a significant difference between day and night temperature, helping preserve the grapes’ acidity. Soils are another vital part of the quality equation: calcareous terroir, cold and free-draining, is ideal for cultivating white grapes. But there are also outcrops of sand close to the coastline and metamorphic schist. The latter suits Touriga Nacional down to the ground. As elsewhere, vineyard sites near the sea enjoy cooling breezes that help to moderate intense summer heat. They can be a godsend in July and August.

Winemaking and regional classifications

Winemakers in the Algarve play by their own standards and rules. For example, most growers prefer to work under the Vinho Regional Algarve designation despite an established appellation framework. This affords a great deal of freedom to oenologists, including the varieties they work with and the methods they employ. Yet the flexibility on yield isn’t always a blessing when quality is concerned; leading brands will always crop at far lower than the permitted levels. A raft of investments, meanwhile, has endowed all the best wineries with the standard paraphernalia of modern equipment: stainless steel, analysis laboratories, barrel cellars, and sorting machines. Nevertheless, the techniques used will vary significantly, ranging from hyper-protective winemaking to skin contact and maturation in amphorae.

Regarding regional demarcation, the region boasts four distinct DOCs (Designação de Origem Controlada). They are Lagos, Portimão, Lagoa, and Tavira, running from west to east. Lagos is renowned for its robust reds and full-bodied whites – managing alcohol levels can be an issue here. Likewise, the subregion of Lagoa is associated with potency and strength, although earlier harvests can make a difference. Portimão, meanwhile, is the smallest zone in the western Algarve. Its forte seems to be Touriga Nacional Syrah blends of incredible richness and poise. Finally, Tavira is the place to seek out saline whites and medium-bodied reds due to the cooling influences of the ocean and site elevation.

The lowdown

The Algarve – and its wines – are innately seductive. Deeply passionate and utterly committed to sustainability, its community of winegrowers can offer you original flavors, a passion for hospitality, and a surfeit of natural beauty. The vineyard, located in the heartland of a major tourist zone, is a serene paradise filled with indigenous grape varieties, beautiful beaches, and award-winning restaurants. From the perspective of the wine lover, there is little, if anything, to dislike. Export markets are still embryonic, but visitors can speak to the quality and originality of local wines. Despite market pressure to increase white production, many of the region’s best bottles are concentrated red blends. Touriga Nacional and Antão Vaz are hot favorites, although Syrah can also be exceptional. Moreover, prices remain very stable and reasonable.

However, it’s not all plain sailing in the sun-kissed vineyards of the Algarve. A series of torrid vintages has tested the limits of vine cultivation in the region and the availability of irrigation water! In southern Europe, heat and drought can equal flabby and ‘baked’ wines – a vine’s metabolism races ahead in hot weather, often reaching high sugar levels at the expense of acidity. Picking times are, therefore, absolutely crucial. Even a day or two can make a dramatic difference. “Most producers are harvesting earlier, with some starting the harvest already in July, depending on the wine style,” says David Corticeiro, Estate Manager at Quinta dos Vales. “The varieties that most producers are growing are quite well adapted to the warm conditions – these days, Touriga Nacional is even being tested in other countries and wine regions, such as Bordeaux, California, and Australia.”

According to leading winemaker Axel Heinz: “It is important to develop moderately abundant canopies that limit water consumption while protecting the grapes from sunlight as much as possible. We tend to keep much more leaves around the fruit zone than we did in the past and de-leaf only very close to harvest.”

Algarve gastronomy

Restaurants in the Algarve cater to every budget and desire. There are several leading Michelin-starred venues along the coastline; spectacular views and inventive, eye-catching dishes are de rigueur in these luxury establishments. Yet there is a far greater number of classical tabernas, serving home-cooked food in convivial surroundings. And despite the rising prominence of exotic ingredients and fusion elements, many Portuguese diners like to stick to their culinary traditions. Local specialties include dried cod (bacalhau) and pork with clams (porco Alentejana). Fresh oysters, langoustines, sardines, and sea bass are also plentiful in the sea-facing restaurants of the Algarve. Cataplana de marisco (seafood stew) combines clams, squid, lobster, and possibly cuttlefish. It is divine.