The Alentejo Regional Wine Growing Commission - the body that controls, protects and certifies Alentejo wines - decided to develop the Wines of Alentejo Sustainability Programme to make Alentejo a sustainable wine growing region.
This Sustainability Programme initiated in 2013, a pioneer in Portugal, free and voluntary, aims to provide its members with a tool to assess the current state of their activities and provide recommendations for using best practices to increase the competitiveness and sustainability of Alentejo wines. The challenge ahead is to produce quality grapes and wine in a cost-effective manner, whilst protecting the environment and improving relations with employees and neighbours.
The plan follows the standard method of continuous improvement by being an organised system in three distinct sectors (Viticulture; Cellar; Viticulture & Cellar). This distinction between sectors relates to the type of members present in the Alentejo Regional Wine Growing Commission. The Sustainability Programme consists of thematic chapters with various associated criteria.
Sustainability in the vineyard is to have innovative approaches that lead to the conservation.
The challenge to achieving cellar sustainability is to ensure a balance between a prosperous agroindustry, an environmental performance that respects the surrounding ecosystem, having a positive impact in people and community.
With unique natural features, Alentejo is home to numerous species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians in different sizes, shapes and colors. Thus, Alentejo is one of the Portuguese regions with the most diverse wildlife and one of the European ecosystems with a greater concentration of biodiversity.
The diversity of flora in Alentejo is one of the main differentiating elements of the region, as well as other strongly rooted characteristics, such as it’s food and homemade medicinal remedies.
