Tejo, until 2009 named Ribatejo, is a

Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gallaecia-Lusitania times, the native peoples only drank beer and were unfam ...

region covering the same areas as the Ribatejo Province. It takes its name from the river Tejo (Tagus). The entire region is entitled to use the '' Vinho Regional'' designation Tejo VR, while some areas are also classified at the higher '' Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (DOC) level under the designation DoTejo DOC. VR is similar to the French '' vin de pays'' and DOC to the French AOC. Located between the Lisboa and

Alentejo VR Alentejo ( , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its name means "beyond () the Tagus river" (''Tejo''). Alentejo includes the regions of Alto Alentejo and Baixo Alent ...

s, the region is dominated by the influence of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; es, Tajo ; pt, Tejo ; see below) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales near Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally west with two main south-westward sections, to e ...

river. The river moderates the region's climate, making it more

temperate In geography, the temperate climates of Earth occur in the middle latitudes (23.5° to 66.5° N/S of Equator), which span between the tropics and the polar regions of Earth. These zones generally have wider temperature ranges throughout t ...

than other areas of Portugal. Vineyards are planted on the fertile

alluvial Alluvium (from Latin ''alluvius'', from ''alluere'' 'to wash against') is loose clay, silt, sand, or gravel that has been deposited by running water in a stream bed, on a floodplain, in an alluvial fan or beach, or in similar settings. Alluv ...

plains along the river and can be prone to producing excessive yields.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 329-333 Dorling Kindersley 2005 In 2009, the region was renamed from Ribatejo to Tejo, the same name as the river flowing through the region, as part of a drive to increase the wine region's international reputation. However, the DOC has kept its name Ribatejo, which removed the previous problem of having the same name applied to wines at two different levels of classification.

Subregions

There are six subregions of the Tejo region that are entitled to the Ribatejo DOC designation. The names of the subregions may be indicated on the label together with the name Ribatejo, for example as Ribatejo-Cartoxa. These subregions were initially created as separate '' Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada'' (IPR) wine regions, but in 2003, these IPRs were put together as the Ribatejo DOC.Official Journal of the European Union C 187/1, 8.8.2009: List of quality wines produced in specified regions
(reflects situation as of July 31, 2009) The six subregions are the following: *

Almeirim Almeirim () is a city and a municipality in Santarém District, Portugal. The population in 2011 was 23,376, in an area of 222.12 km². The city proper had a population of 10,520 in 2001. History There are vestiges of mid-Paleolithic to Meso ...

* Cartaxo - Overlaps into the Lisboa VR * Chamusca * Coruche * Santarém * Tomar

Grapes

The principal grapes of the Tejo region includes

Arinto Arinto or Arinto de Bucelas is a white Portuguese wine grape planted primarily in the Bucelas, Tejo and Vinho Verde regions. It can produce high acid wines with lemon notes. Synonyms Arinto is also known by the synonyms Arintho, Arintho du Da ...

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Leban ...

, Camarate,

Carignan Carignan (also known as Mazuelo, Bovale Grande, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is a red grape variety of Spanish (wine), Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the w ...

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

, Esgana Cão, Fernão Pires, Jampal, Malvasia Fina, Malvasia Rei,

Merlot Merlot is a dark blue–colored wine grape variety, that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. The name ''Merlot'' is thought to be a diminutive of ''merle'', the French name for the blackbird, probably a reference to the ...

, Periquita,

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

Rabo de Ovelha Rabo de Ovelha (Portuguese for "Sheep's tail") is white Portuguese wine grape variety that is grown all over Portugal. It should not be confused with the red Rabo de Anho grape variety that is found in the Vinho Verde region. Rabo de Ovelha is an ...

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

Syrah Syrah (), also known as Shiraz, is a dark-skinned grape variety grown throughout the world and used primarily to produce red wine. In 1999, Syrah was found to be the offspring of two obscure grapes from southeastern France, Dureza and Mondeuse B ...

, Tamarez, Tinta Amarela, Tinta Muida, Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira das Pratas, Ugni blanc and Vital.

References

{{coord missing, Portugal Wine regions of Portugal

Subregions

Grapes

See also

References