“The last frontier of Europe,” “A pristine region,” “A mosaic of soil varieties and temperatures” are all ways João Gomes de Silva, Board Member of Sogrape, describes the Alentejo wine region.  João tells us about the evolution of Portugal’s wine industry, the complexity of the Alentejo wine region, and how the industry has been promoting and building the brand of Alentejo wine.  From “seasoning” to amphora, there’s plenty to get excited about with Alentejo and its wines!  Detailed Show Notes: João’s backgroundFamily is in agriculture and farmingJoão is a wine loverWorked in food retailingLived in Italy and Latin AmericaSogrape backgroundFounded in 1942 by Fernando van Zeller Guedes and launched with Mateus RoseA family business where they work as a professional teamCombination of concept wines (e.g. - Mateus) and fine wine estates (e.g. - Barca Velha, Sandeman)Mateus Rose - Sogrape’s founder said it had to stand outUnique bottle shape - shaped after WWI cantil (soldiers’ water bottles)The label has a picture of a manor house in North of Portugal, which was to look like a French chateauPortuguese Wine HistoryEarly-mid 1990’s - Portugal joined the EU, lots of investment in the wine industry and a surge in domestic demand2005-2010 era - a lot of modernization happened in the wine industry2010+ - a boom in tourism in Portugal led to a boom in demand for Portuguese wineCovid - demand for Portuguese wines did not dipAlentejo as a wine regionSouth of Lisbon, between Lisbon and the Algarve (a beach area popular for tourists)The same size as the state of Maryland, but with only 700,000 people - a sparsely populated farming areaOne of the last areas dominated by the Moors (until the 13th century)Traditionally the breadbasket of Portugal, lots of cereal, grain growingDry, warm climate (>100F in summer)During Roman times, made wine in clay amphora to preserve temperature during fermentation8 sub-regionsPortalegre  - north part of the region, the influence of the mountains (a colder, wet climate)Eastern area near Spanish border - very dry, arid, pre-phylloxera vineyardsA mosaic of soil types, climates, and grape varietiesThe notion of “seasoning” important in the region (e.g., using small amounts of different grapes varieties to blend)Grape varieties - a mix of traditional and internationalTraditional - Aragones (Tempranillo), Trincadera, Moretto, Arinto, Tourigal NationalInternational - Syrah, Alicante Bouschet - the star of the regionVinho de Talha - wine made in the traditional Roman way in clay amphora, the only region in Portugal that has this regulationWine style - fruit-forward, rounded tanninsCurrent consumers - wine explorers and hedonists who know what they likeAlentejo Wine ConsumptionDomestic - 80%Export - 20%Brazil - 30%US, France, Poland, Switzerland - ~10% eachCanada, UK, Angola, China - ~5% eachEntry-level pricing ~$7-9 USDThe sweet spot is ~$20 USD to really show terroirMarketing messagesA unique, single message (especially for US/UK markets) - “taste of the last frontier of European wine,” a pristine regionBrazil - talk more about individual producers as people already know AlentejoJournalists / somms - talk more about winemaking techniques, bringing people to PortugalConsumers - the experience at the estate or virtually tends to grab themBroad / “Generic” promotion - through Wines of Portugal and CVRA (Alentejo region wine marketing body)Invests in trade fairs (e.g., Prowein, Vinexpo) which helpHerdade do Peso - invests in social mediaBeing closer to the distributor (and owning them) helps - has been important to the success of brandsHerdade do Peso, a Sogrape winerySogrape’s founder believed he could change the Alentejo industryIntroduced Alicante Bouschet to the region, blended it with Touriga Nacional“A mix of man’s ingenuity, dream of a family, and the natural conditions found there”16 soil types, 160ha of vineyardsUse clay amphora to season wines, but no pure Vinho de TalhaWine positioningEntry-level, single estate