Tejo, until 2009 named Ribatejo, 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 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 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 ...

and Alentejo VRs, the region is dominated by the influence of the

Tagus The Tagus ( ; ; ) is the longest river in the Iberian Peninsula. The river rises in the Montes Universales between Cuenca and Teruel, in mid-eastern Spain, flows , generally westward, and empties into the Atlantic Ocean in Lisbon. Name T ...

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

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

than other areas of Portugal. Vineyards are planted on the fertile alluvial 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 * Cartaxo - Overlaps into the Lisboa VR * Chamusca * Coruche * Santarém *

Tomar Tomar (), also known in English as Thomar (the ancient name of Tomar), is a Portugal, Portuguese city and a municipality in the historical Ribatejo Portuguese Provinces of Portugal, province, and in Santarém District, Santarém district. The to ...

Grapes

The principal grapes of the Tejo region includes Arinto, Cabernet Sauvignon, Camarate, Carignan, Chardonnay, Esgana Cão, Fernão Pires, Jampal, Malvasia Fina, Malvasia Rei, Merlot, Periquita,

Pinot noir Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words fo ...

, Rabo de Ovelha, Sauvignon blanc,

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 ...

, 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