Beira Interior

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• Vineyards between 300 and 750 m: Beira Interior is the highest wine-producing region in Portugal.
• Predominantly granito soils, with the presence of xisto and quartz veins between both.
• Continental climate: cold winters with sub-zero temperatures, hot and dry summers; July and August with average rainfall below 10 mm/m².
• Altitude reduces temperature by approx. 0.65 °C per 100 m of elevation gain, moderating summer heat during ripening.
• Topography dominated by the Serra da Estrela, Gardunha, Açor, Marofa and Malcata ranges; three sub-regions: Castelo Rodrigo, Cova da Beira and Pinhel.

• Human viticultural presence predating Roman settlement, evidenced by lagaretas carved into granito; twelfth-century religious orders drove the development of viticulture.
• Human know-how is grounded in selecting the grape varieties best adapted to local growing conditions, preserving a tradition described as millenary.

• Wines of the DO Beira Interior are characterised by minerality, acidity and freshness, linked to the granito soils and altitude (300–750 m).
• Cool summer nights at elevation allow for slow ripening, preserving natural acidity and developing aromatic precursors.

• Granito soils combined with diurnal temperature range driven by altitude yield the minerality, acidity and freshness that are hallmarks of DO Beira Interior wines.

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

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-PT-A1546
• Official trade body site — Comissão Vitivinícola Regional da Beira Interior