This summer, our resident wine expert, Vicky Hampton, is taking us on a wine-fuelled journey through southern Europe to three top holiday destinations for Dutch travellers. Having covered Spanish whites and Sicily’s sunshine-filled wines, we’re now heading to Portugal’s Alentejo region!

These days, it feels like most of the media stories coming out of Portugal are about over-tourism: it’s either digital nomads pricing locals out of the market in Lisbon and Porto, or Brits abroad getting drunk in the Algarve. Not wanting to be “part of the problem” is enough to guilt you out of travelling to the Iberian peninsula altogether.

But don’t fret: there are still plenty of places in Portugal that are not overrun with northern European tourists, and where the locals are keen to offer warm hospitality to well-behaved visitors. One such region is Alentejo: south of Lisbon and north of the Algarve, Alentejo spans roughly a third of continental Portugal but it’s often overlooked by foreign travellers. The landscape exudes a quiet charm, characterised by open vistas, rolling plains and field after field of cork, olive trees and vines.

Apart from the areas of Alentejo on the Atlantic coast to the west and the Serra de São Mamede mountains to the north, the climate in Alentejo is hot and dry – making it perhaps a better destination for an autumn break than a summer holiday. And while drought can be a challenge in the region’s vineyards, the lack of moisture makes organic farming relatively easy, and sustainable practices are widely used.

Alentejo’s climate-resilient native grapes

Portugal as a whole is home to over 250 native grape varieties (for comparison, that’s second only to Italy), many of which thrive in Alentejo’s hot, dry climate.

Traditionally, the region has been known for its powerful red wines, which could sometimes be overly jammy or lacking in freshness. But nowadays, a resurgence of lesser-known, ultra-local grape varieties and earlier harvesting coupled with modern winemaking techniques have led to an exciting evolution in Alentejo’s wines.

While most wines from Alentejo are blends, the bottle often tells you the percentages of each grape used. In red wines, look out for bold, earthy Alicante Bouschet (the region’s signature black grape); rustic, red-fruited Castelão; fresh, fragrant Trincadeira; fruity, approachable Aragonez (the same grape as Spain’s Tempranillo); as well as powerful, age-worthy Touriga Nacional (Portugal’s flagship grape).

In the whites, you’ll often see blends of rich and tropical Antão Vaz, crisp and mineral Arinto, and floral and fruity Roupeiro – although there are literally dozens more that even many sommeliers have never heard of. And on that note, let’s crack straight into this month’s wine picks!

All featured wines are available here in the Netherlands from local wine shops, off-licence chains and online stores.

Best budget bottle: Herdade de São Miguel – Colheita Seleccionada Tinto 2023 (€9.30)

Herdade de Sao Miguel’s “selected harvest” red blend combines 50% Alicante Bouschet with smaller portions of Portugal’s Touriga Nacional, plus international grape varieties like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon.

The result is a rich, aromatic red that feels significantly more expensive than its budget price tag. Dark fruit and warm spices meet forest floor and cigar box aromas, making a good accompaniment to one of Alentejo’s famously rich pork dishes – or simply a lovely glass with which to sit around a campfire. Available from Vindict in Amsterdam Noord and the Jordaan.

Magnificent mid-range: Fitapreta Tinto “O Iluminista” 2022 (€14.99)

Fitapreta Vinhos is located just north of the region’s capital city, Évora, and the winery is an impressive combination of tradition and modernity. A 14^th century ruined palace has been renovated into the main barrel storage facility, while the fermentation tanks are housed in a cork-clad, state-of-the-art warehouse that was only built in 2017.

As you might imagine, winemaker Antonio Maçanita is doing equally interesting things with what’s in the bottle: bringing back ancient techniques like amphora fermentation and ancestral field blends, while working with wild yeasts and skin-contact orange wines.

Sadly, many of Fitapreta’s wines are not available here in the Netherlands, but I tracked down two from the “classic range” – one red blend, one white. I debated long and hard about which to include as both are fantastic, but in the end the red just edged it for me.

“O Illuminista” (the enlightened one) is expressive, wild and (dare I say) a bit sexy. If you enjoy a crunchy Cabernet Franc from the Loire Valley, you’re sure to like Fitapreta’s ancestral-meets-contemporary red blend. Available from Grapedistrict stores nationwide.

Something special: Esporão Reserva Branco 2023 (€16.95)

Although only around 20% of Alentejo’s wine production is white, the region’s white wines should not be overlooked – especially since a chilled glass of vinho branco is more likely to be what you’re craving when it’s hot outside.

Herdade de Esporão is the region’s largest estate, with stunning views over the Alentejo landscape. All coming from certified organic vineyards, Esporão has many different labels, but it’s the estate’s flagship Esporão Reserva Branco that gets my vote every time.

This classic white is a blend of local grapes Antão Vaz, Arinto and Roupeiro, lending the wine tropical pineapple, zesty freshness and crisp minerality. It’s also aged for six months in oak, but the vanilla profile is subtle rather than overpowering. Available from The Wine Spot in Amsterdam West.

I visited both the Fitapreta and Esporão wine estates while in Portugal earlier this year, digital nomading from Évora. If you take a trip to the region, check out my guide to winery visits in Alentejo on Substack and my gourmet guide to Évora on AmsterdamFoodie. And for more of my wine recommendations and grape explorations, follow @TrufflesandTannins on Instagram or subscribe to The Wine Edit on Substack!