📍 Tejo
Central Portugal along the Tejo river: six PDO sub-regions and about 2,800 hours of sun a year.
Tejo is a wine region in central Portugal along the Tejo (Tagus) river. The EU register has two names: PGI “Tejo” (2009) and PDO “DoTejo” (2011). The region used to be called Ribatejo; the specification explains that the name Tejo was restored to stress the quality and tradition of the region's wines.
The specification divides the region into three zones. “Campo” is the Lezíria do Tejo plains with fertile alluvial soils, a white wine zone where Fernão Pires is the “queen”. “Bairro” is clay-limestone hills between the valley and the Porto de Mós, Candeeiros and Montejunto massifs, ideal for red varieties, above all Castelão and Trincadeira. “Charneca” is sandy soils on the left bank: yields are below average, but the wines are finer.
The PDO covers six sub-regions: Almeirim, Cartaxo, Chamusca, Coruche, Santarém and Tomar. The climate is moderate: an average temperature of 15.5–16.5 °C, about 2,800 hours of sun and 750 mm of rain a year. The maximum yield is 80 hl/ha for red and rosé wines and 90 for white; minimum strength is 11.5 % vol. for red and rosé, 11 % for white, 10.5 % for sparkling and 17.5 % for liqueur wines. According to the specification, viticulture in the region is older than the state, and in the 13th century almost 30,000 barrels of wine were shipped to England.
Why it matters to you. “Tejo” on a label can stand for either the PDO or the PGI. The PDO has stricter rules: a lower maximum yield and wines only from the six sub-regions, made in registered wineries of the region.
Facts
| Country | Portugal |
|---|---|
| Region | Central Portugal: six PDO sub-regions — Almeirim, Cartaxo, Chamusca, Coruche, Santarém, Tomar 1 |
| Registered | PGI “Tejo” — 8.08.2009; PDO “DoTejo” — 23.12.2011 12 |
| Cultivars | Fernão Pires (Campo), Castelão and Trincadeira (Bairro) 1 |
| Yield | Maximum 80 hl/ha (red, rosé), 90 (white) 1 |
| Temperature | 15.5–16.5 °C on average, about 2,800 hours of sun, 750 mm of rain 1 |
How it connects to Wine
📍 Tejo ← → ← 🥃 Aguardente de Vinho Ribatejo → related → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🗺️ Portuguese wine
- Grapes
- 🍇 Castelão, 🍇 Fernão Pires, 🍇 Fernão Pires, 🍇 Touriga Nacional, 🍇 Tinta Amarela
- Related to
- 🥃 Aguardente de Vinho Ribatejo, 🍷 Still wine
- Main grapes
- 🍇 Fernão Pires, 🍇 Castelão, 🍇 Touriga Nacional, 🍇 Tinta Amarela
- Wines
- 🍷 Red wine, 🍷 White wine, 🍷 Rosé
- Similar and different
- 📍 Algarve
- What grows here
- 📜 Azeites do Ribatejo, 🌳 Oliveira do Mouchão
Frequently asked questions
What was the Tejo region called before?
Ribatejo. The specification explains that the name Tejo was restored as the original one; the PGI “Tejo” was approved by Regulation No. 445/2009 of 27 April 2009.
How do the PDO “DoTejo” and the PGI “Tejo” differ?
The PDO covers six sub-regions with a maximum of 80 hl/ha (red, rosé) and 90 hl/ha (white) and requires production in registered wineries of the region. The PGI has a wider territory: Azambuja and the Santarém district, except Ourém.
Which varieties grow in Tejo?
The specification lists almost 90 varieties. Typical ones: Fernão Pires in the Campo zone, Castelão and Trincadeira in the Bairro zone; also Arinto, Bical, Touriga Nacional and others.
Is it true that the fertile plains of Tejo give only simple wines?
Not only. According to the specification, the fertile alluvial soils of the Campo zone are a white wine zone with Fernão Pires, while the sandy Charneca gives lower yields but finer wines; reds do best in the Bairro zone.
How much sun and rain is there?
About 2,800 hours of sun and 750 mm of rain a year, with an average temperature of 15.5–16.5 °C.
What to read next
- 📜 Azeites do Ribatejo — An EU protected designation of origin for olive oil from the Tagus valley; Galega and Lentisca make up at least 55%, the rest mainly Cobrançosa, with apple notes.
- 🍇 Touriga Nacional — A red grape of Portugal: 12,000 ha, 6 % of the vineyards (2015); permitted in Douro and Dão, parent of Touriga Franca.
- 🥃 Aguardente de Vinho Ribatejo — Wine spirit from the Tagus valley in Portugal: distilled from local wine, at least 12 months in oak barrels of up to 800 L, from 37.5% ABV.
- 🌳 Oliveira do Mouchão — A very old olive tree in Mouriscas (Abrantes municipality, Portugal); the ICNF register estimates its age at 3,350 years.
- 🍷 Red wine — Wine from dark grapes that ferments with the skins and takes its colour from them.
Similar
📍 Algarve · 📍 Bairrada · 📍 Beira Interior · 📜 Alentejano · 📜 Beira Atlântico · 📜 Terras do Dão
⚠️ Wine contains alcohol: adults only, drink in moderation. Wine usually contains sulphites; egg white or milk proteins are sometimes used for fining — important for allergies and for vegans.
Sources
- eAmbrosia (реєстр GI ЄС): PDO «DoTejo», єдиний документ
- eAmbrosia (реєстр GI ЄС): PGI «Tejo», єдиний документ