
Encostas d'Aire is a
Portuguese wine
Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans (wine), 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 ...
region located on the
limestone
Limestone is a type of carbonate rock, carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material Lime (material), lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different Polymorphism (materials science) ...
hills extending across the northern end of the wider
Lisboa
Lisbon ( ; ) is the capital and largest city of Portugal, with an estimated population of 567,131, as of 2023, within its administrative limits and 3,028,000 within the Lisbon Metropolitan Area, metropolis, as of 2025. Lisbon is mainlan ...
wine region into the southwestern corner of the
Beiras region. The region was initially an ''
Indicação de Proveniencia Regulamentada'' (IPR) region, but in 2005, it was elevated to ''
Denominação de Origem Controlada
The denominação de origem controlada (or DOC) is the system of protected designation of origin for fruit, wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products from Portugal.
Wines
Portuguese wine regions, as well as producers of several o ...
'' (DOC) status, and at the same time the
Alcobaça IPR was merged into Encostas d'Aire to form a subregion.
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)
Despite similar names, the Encostas d'Aire DOC is quite distinct from the former Encostas da Nave IPR located in the northern half of the Beiras region,[T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 331 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ] which is now part of Távora-Varosa DOC and no longer used on wine labels, reducing the risk of confusion.
Grapes
The principle grapes of the Encostas d'Aire region include 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 Dao ...
, Baga, Fernao Pires, Periquita, Tamarez
Tamarez is a grape variety that is the basis for a white Portuguese wine. It is associated with the Alentejo
Alentejo ( , , ) is a geographical, historical, and cultural region of south–central and southern Portugal. In Portuguese, its nam ...
, Tinta Amarela
Tinta Amarela or Trincadeira is a red wine grape that is commonly used in Port wine production. The grape is noted for its dark coloring. Its use in the Douro region has been increasing in recent years. The vine is susceptible to rot and perform ...
and Vital.
Subregions
There are two subregions which may be indicated on the label together with the name Encostas d'Aire:
* Alcobaça, formerly a separate IPR
*Ourém
See also
*List of Portuguese wine regions
Portuguese wine regions are grouped into three levels of classification. At the top are the ''Denominação de Origem Controlada'' (or DOCs) which are Quality Wines Produced in Specified Regions (QWpsr) under the European Union wine regulations ...
References
{{coord missing, Portugal
Wine regions of Portugal