Algarve

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical area is bounded to the south and west by the Atlantic Ocean along a 155 km coastline, and to the north by an extensive mountain system comprising three ranges (the Serra do Caldeirão, Serra de Monchique, and Serra do Espinhaço do Cão).
• The vineyards entitled to produce the Wines, Fortified Wines, and Sparkling Wines of the Algarve PGI are generally planted on calcareous soils.
• The region has a mild maritime climate owing to the influence of the Atlantic Ocean and, at the same time, a warm and dry character thanks to the mountain ranges to the north, with more than 3,000 sunshine hours per year.
• Average annual rainfall is relatively low, at around 575 mm per year.

• The Algarve wine region has more than 2,500 years of history tied to viticulture and winemaking, with current practices that revive traditional methods such as palhetes and claretes.
• The character of the wines is based on a careful selection of grape varieties, combining varieties of a more international profile with indigenous and traditional varieties adapted to the region's climate and soils.

• The Fortified Wines display an aromatic and complex, elegant profile, with evident alcohol, a lingering finish, and light acidity.
• The Sparkling Wines are aromatic, smooth, and delicate, with low acidity, noticeable alcohol, and a fine, persistent bead.

• The high temperatures that characterise the region's climate, combined with small diurnal temperature ranges, contribute decisively to the low acidity that typifies the Wines, Sparkling Wines, and Fortified Wines of the Algarve PGI.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the specification (caderno de especificações).

All appellations in Portugal

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PGI-PT-A1448
• Official trade body site — Comissão Vitivinícola do Algarve