Portugal | Tejo

The Tejo wine region (previously designated as Ribatejo) is located in the very heart of Portugal, a short drive from the capital city of Lisbon. Pulsing with a rich heritage, Tejo claims a bounty of historical treasures scanning the pages of time, from Roman ruins and Gothic castles, to Manueline monasteries and medieval hilltop villages. To the Portuguese, Tejo is known as the land of vineyards, olive groves, cork forests, Mertolengo cattle, and the famous Lusitano horses.

Tejo’s native red grapes include the bold Touriga Nacional (Portugal’s most famous varietal) as well as Trincadeira, Castelão and Aragonês. The aromatic Fernão Pires and the lively Arinto produce some of the region’s most refreshing white wines. These indigenous grapes thrive in the Tejo region’s warm climate and complex soils, while retaining high natural acidity, to produce balanced wines with bright fruit characteristics.

The terroir of the region is deeply defined by the very nature of the Tejo River. The river's breadth and strength elementally impacts the soil and climate of the region, producing three distinct wine-producing zones (Bairro, Charneca and Campo) and six sub-regions (Tomar; Santarém; Chamusca; Cartaxo; Almeirim and Coruche).