LISBOA
West and north of the city of Lisbon, the Lisboa wine region was until recently known as Estremadura. The region boasts one of the largest productions of wine in the country, in a very wide variety of styles and qualities. Besides the "vinho regional" Lisboa also has nine DOC.
Lisboa is a long, thin region running up beside the Atlantic. Wind is inevitably a strong feature beside the coast – no wonder that these undulating hills bristle with windmills, and no wonder that coastal vines are wind-stressed and hard pressed to ripen their grapes. Just a little way inland, however, a backbone of hill and mountain ranges offers some protection to many eastern parts of the Lisboa region.
A number of the top wine estates of Lisboa are in or around the DOC region of Alenquer, tucked in to the east of the Serra de Montejunto, and therefore a little warmer, a little less windy and wet. Grapes can ripen well, and red wines especially can be top class.
