WINES OF TEJO Defined by a river.
Refined by tradition.
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InPortugal’sHistoricTejoWineRegion,MedievalTownsandVillagesDrawVisitorstoEurope'sOldest,ContinuouslyOperationalWineEstates
--DefinedbyaRiver.RefinedbyTradition--(NewYork,NY,December15,2015)–Portugal’shistoricTejoregionhasbeenproducingsomeofthemostunique wines in Europe since winemaking first began there in 1170. During the Middle Ages, landconcessions required trustees toplant botholive trees and vineyardson the landparcels. Before long,villagesbeganspringingupalongthelengthyandancientTejoRiver,andwiththisgrapecultivationcamethe beginnings of a local wine culture. Pulsing with a rich heritage, Tejo claims a bounty of historicaltreasuresfromthosemedievalmoments,witharchitecturalrelicsandmedievalhilltopvillagesdottingthepicturesquelandscape.Today,manyofTejo'shistoricwineries--bridgingtraditionandmodernity--bearwitnesstotheregion'scenturiesofqualitywineproductionsincemedievaltimes.TothePortuguese,Tejoisknownasthelandofvineyards,olivegroves,foot-treading,corkforestsandthefamous Lusitano horses. Visitors seeking an off-the-beaten-pathwine tourism experiencewill also findancient routes leading throughmedieval villages that offer up sites of historic importancewith uniquecharacteristics. The area provides a breathtaking landscape for lovers of nature, culture, and authenticwines.A samplingof Tejo's villages andmonuments of great significance that dateback to theMiddleAgesinclude:SantarémApicturesquemedievalcity,SantarémhasapanoramicviewoverlookingtheTejoRiver.Gothicartandarchitectureabound,anditboaststhemostnumberofGothicchurchesofanycityinPortugal.Santarémishometoamedievalcastleandlargenumbersofconventsandmonasteries.Itshistorybeganwiththeoverturning of the period of Muslim domination in 1147, when the first King of Portugal, AfonsoHenriques,conqueredthecity.TheconquestofSantarémistoldinheroicstyleinthemedievalchronicleDeexpugnationeScalabis,whichcelebratesandjustifiesthepowerofthefirstPortugueseKing.Afterthereconquest,thecitywasfrequentlyvisitedbyKings--KingFernandoIwasburiedintheConventofSaintFrancis (his tomb is now in the CarmoMuseum in Lisbon). The picturesque city center includesmanymonumentsofarchitecturalimportance,includingtheOldCastleofSantarém(partialmedievalwallsandtowers with a garden overlooking the river); Church of Saint John of Alporão (built by the KnightsHospitallers, now housing an Archaeological Museum and the Gothic tomb of Duarte de Meneses);CabacasTower(ancientdefensivepostofthemedievalcitywallwithaTimeMuseum);FountainoftheFig Tree (14th-century tower decorated with merlons and Portuguese coats-of-arms); Church of St.Stephen—ChurchoftheHolyMiracle(13thcentury);ChurchoftheGrace(14th-15thcenturywithtombofthe discoverer of Brazil); Church of Marvila (16th century with outstanding tile decorations); andCathedralofSantarém(Jesuitchurch).TomarThecharmingmedievaltownofTomarbeganinsidethewallsoftheConventodeCristo,whichwasfirstconstructedinthelate-12thcenturyundertheordersofGualdimdePais,thefourthgrandmasteroftheKnightsTemplar.Consideredamedieval jewelasthe lastTemplartowncommissionedforconstruction,TomarbecamethecenterofPortugueseexpansionduringthe15thcenturyunderHenrytheNavigator.ItgrewfurtherwiththeadmissionofJewishpeoplefollowingtheirexpulsionfromSpainin1492,bringing
WINES OF TEJO Defined by a river.
Refined by tradition.
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highlevelsofskilledartisans,tradersandprofessionals.TheoriginalSynagogueofTomar,builtinthe15thcenturyandthebestpreservedmedievalsynagogueofPortugal,nowhousestheJewishMuseumAbraãoZacuto. Also of historic interest are theCastle and Convent of the Order of Christ (a UNESCOWorldHeritageSite);AqueductofPegões (built inthe16thcenturybyPhilip I,nowofferinga“traintourbus”takingvisitors fromcitycenter to themonument’shighestpointat98 feet);Churchof SantaMariadoOlival (13th-centuryGothicChurchbuilt asburial ground for theTemplarKnights); andChurch of SaintJohn the Baptist (built in themain squarewith flamboyant Gothic portal,Manueline towerwith 16th-century clock, and painted panels by Portugal’s famed Renaissance artist Gregório Lopes). Tomar alsocontains theeccentricMuseu dos Fosforoswith the largestprivatematchbox collection inEurope, theMuseudeArteModerna—ColecçãoJoséAugustoFrançaandotherartgalleries.AlmourolCastleApproximately12milessouthofTomarandthoughttobeoneofPortugal'smostromanticandbeautifulcastles, the Almourol Castle is built on a small island in the middle of the Tejo River. Drawing frominfluences that existed in the early days of the kingdom of Portugal and theOrder of the Templars, arenowned religious/military order, this 12th-century castle is considered one of the most impressiveexamplesofmedievalmilitaryarchitecture.Thecastlehasbeenheavilyrestoredyetmanyofitsoriginalarchitecturalcharacteristicsarepreserved,suchasthetowersandcrenellatedwalls.Reachedthroughaninternalstaircase,the"TorredeManagem"(thecastle'smaindefensivestructure)honorsthememoryoftheTemplarsKnights.BoatstypicaloftheregionleavetheriverbanksinfrontofthecastledailytobringvisitorstoandfromAlmourol,providingascenicrivercruiseexperiencealongtheway.Other picturesque towns of medieval origins grace the region of Tejo, including Abrantes, Cartaxo,FerreiradoZêzere,VilaNovadaBarquinha,andTorresNovas.Throughout the area, Tejo’s more than 80 wineries – many of them family-owned for generations –producedistinctivewinesdefinedbytheTejoRiver’sbreadthandstrength,impactingthesoilandclimatetoproducethreedistinctwine-producingzones:Bairro(northernhighlandswithrichclayandlimestonesoils),Charneca (southof theRiverwithwarmer temperatures), andCampo (along theTejo riverbankswithamoderateclimateandwell-drainedsoils).Comissão Vitivinícola Regional do Tejo (CVR Tejo), known in the United States asWines of Tejo, is anorganizationthatoverseestheviticulturalandvinificationpracticesofover80producersfromtheregion.Nestled intheheartofPortugalalongthebanksoftheTejoRiver,whichstretchesfromjustbeyondtheSpanish border to the Atlantic Ocean at Lisbon, the Tejo region has been producingwines from nativePortuguesevarietalssincetheMiddleAges.TheTejoRiver’sbreadthandstrengthelementallyimpactthesoilandclimateof theregion,deeplydefiningtheregion’s terroir.Thesewinesembodytheenthusiasm,commitment and collaborative nature of its producers, and reflect the unique terroir and winemakingheritageoftheTejoregion.
###MediaContacts TradeContactsJoanBrower/JanetBartucci JuliePeterson/AllisonSluteTheDilenschneiderGroup,Inc. TejoRegionalWineCommission-USOfficeChryslerBuilding,405LexingtonAve. 1025ThomasJeffersonSt.NW,Suite420ENewYork,NY10174 Washington,DC20007Tel:212-922-0900;Fax:212-922-0971 Tel:[email protected] [email protected]
