Tejo is a wine region in central Portugal in the Ribatejo area, just inland from the major city of Lisbon. A warm, dry area, it is also Portugal's only landlocked region – although it is influenced considerably by the Tejo river. Like many parts of Portugal, Tejo's vignerons are looking to the future, planting international varieties like Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon alongside traditional varieties like Touriga Nacional, Castelão and Trincadeira.
©Wines of Portugal
The area's wine regions straddle the Tejo river, the longest on the Iberian Peninsula. Fertile alluvial soils have long supplied bumper yields of fruit and vegetables for the local population, and wine also benefits from the river's riches – not just in Portugal but in central Spain too. There are two official designations in the region – the generic Tejo VR and the more specific Do Tejo DOC. These were named as such in 2009 – prior to this, they were known as Ribatejano and Ribatejo respectively.
As the river is the main waterway connecting Madrid and Lisbon, Ribatejo has long been one of Portugal's richest regions. It was a natural waypoint for traders moving between Portugal and Spain, so had a natural market for its wines throughout the Middle Ages and up to the 19th century.
Vines planted on lower-lying land close to the Tejo enjoy natural irrigation, which can lead to excessive yields – it is not unknown for Tejo vineyards to give yields of more than 5.7 tons/acre (100 hL/ha). Consequently, the region takes second place only to prolific Estremadura in terms of total annual wine production: a large percentage of this is generated by co-operatives rather than individual smallholdings. This high output means quality can often be reduced significantly.
The focus placed on quantity over quality does not mean Tejo cannot produce wines of very high quality. Those from vineyards planted higher up in the Bairro region on free-draining soils make some of Tejo's best wines, as do the dry, sandy vineyards in Charneca, south of the river. As is the case in neighboring Alentejo, Tejo's top wines are mostly red, and are often blends of international and Portuguese grape varieties. The white wines are dominated by aromatic, gently spicy Fernão Pires.
