Algarve

The IVV calls the Algarve one of Portugal's oldest wine regions. It says the Phoenicians and Greeks brought the vine between the eighth and sixth centuries BC, and that Roman times saw a large expansion and export. The four specifications say the Arabs both planted vines and exported wine during the Muslim period, and that Christians built on this after the Reconquest. They describe the region's role in medieval and early modern trade. The IVV adds that wine was indispensable on the Portuguese sea voyages of the fifteenth to seventeenth centuries. It records severe crises in the nineteenth century, from the French invasions and phylloxera, and a recovery only in the second half of the twentieth century, helped by native grapes such as Negra Mole. The specifications date the first recognition of quality wines to 1980. The regional commission (CVA) was founded in 1994 and took its present name, Comissão Vitivinícola do Algarve, in 2010.

All four specifications describe a southern site shielded by a mountain barrier from cold north winds, with an amphitheatre exposure to the south. The climate is markedly Mediterranean: hot, dry, with little wind, very small temperature ranges and over 3,000 hours of sun a year. Soils include lithosols on sandstones such as the Silves sandstone, sandy regosols, red or yellow Mediterranean soils on sandstone and raña deposits, and podzolised sandy soils.

The rules then set the four zones apart. Lagos, in the west, is the roughest: stony, less fertile ground facing the Atlantic and exposed to wind. Humidity there is higher, temperature ranges wider and the harvest later. Portimão lies in the Barrocal, under the influence of the ocean and the Alvor estuary; its harvest starts 8-10 days later than Lagoa's. Lagoa's vines lie further inland on steeper ground under the serra, less exposed to the sea. Tavira, in the east, has sandier soils at low altitude, less rain, little wind and the earliest harvest.

The IVV says the combined effect of the serra to the north and the sea to the south ensures full ripening. It names a marked aroma, a natural impression of sweetness, softness and lower acidity as the common style. The specifications give each designation its nuance. Lagoa makes easy-drinking wines: robust but soft, fruity whites, and velvety, full, warm reds of low acidity that age well. Lagos whites are delicate, with some minerality; its reds are lighter in colour, velvety and quite fruity. Portimão reds are velvety, full and very fruity, with some floral notes. Tavira's whites are delicate and aromatic; its reds are easy, medium-bodied, fruity and low in tannin.

The four designations cover red and white wine only. Reds need at least 12% alcohol and whites 11.5%, from musts of the same natural strength. Vines must be at least four years grafted and pure plantings. They are trained low as cordon (guyot) or gobelet, except at Portimão, where cordons are 0.5-1 m high. Yields are capped at 60 hl/ha. The grape lists combine native and long-established grapes, including Negra Mole, Castelão, Trincadeira, Arinto, Síria and Manteúdo, with Aragonez, Touriga Nacional, Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. The blends and shares allowed are set in a separate regional regulation. Lagoa covers Albufeira, Lagoa and parts of Loulé and Silves. Lagos covers parts of Aljezur, Vila do Bispo and Lagos. Portimão covers parts of Portimão. Tavira covers Faro, Olhão and parts of Tavira and neighbouring municipalities. The regional wine Algarve, over the whole region, allows more freedom in grapes and styles, including rosé.