Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/1037369
84 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 W hile strolling through the cobblestone streets of Lisbon to navigate its many wine bars, it's hard not to spot wine from the Portuguese region of Alentejo. Outside the country, however, the mention of Alentejo will conjure blank expressions among even the most avid wine enthusiasts. Alentejo's border lies just a 90-minute drive east of Lisbon, and despite its relative obscurity, this highly diverse region covers roughly a third of Portugal. When the Ro - mans arrived in the area in 180 B.C., wine had already been part of the culture for almost 200 years, as it was perhaps brought to the peninsula by the ancient Tartessian civilization. Both the Phoenicians and the Greeks embraced winemaking in Alentejo as they expanded winegrowing and trade throughout the region. It was the Romans, however, who insti - tuted winemaking techniques that have persisted in Alentejo for more than 2,000 years. Before stainless steel, berglass, or even oak, clay amphorae called talhas (pronounced tal-yas) were used to fer - ment and age wine. Ancient winemakers buried these vessels for safety in case they exploded, but today they're often placed upright alongside more modern vessels made from oak, stainless steel, or concrete. At the bottom of the talha remains a cork stopper known as a batoque (bat- oh-kay) and after the added grape skins, pulp, and stems form a blanket over the wine inside, the winemakers will push this cap down several times daily to add more color, texture, and complexity to the juice. Once fermentation is complete, these PHOTOS COURTESY OF WINES OF ALENTEJO A traditional clay amphora used for produc- ing DOC Talha Alentejo wines. Grapes ripen under Alentejo's scorching sun. EXPLORING THE HISTORY AND TRADITIONS OF PORTUGAL'S MOST SIGNIFICANT WINE REGION by Michael Biddick ALENTEJO Undiscovered