DOC Vinho de Talha rules introduced in 2010 aim to preserve core traditions. They provide that:
- the grapes must be de-stemmed;
- the fermentation must be undertaken in impermeable pots (‘talha’);
- the wine and the skins must remain in talha until November 11th (St. Martin’s day); and
- the grapes must be sourced from (and permitted by) Alentejo’s DOC sub-regions (Borba, Évora, Granja-Amareleja, Moura, Portalegre, Redondo, Reguengos and Vidigueira).
I’ve been entranced by talha wines since my 2015 visit with traditional and contemporary talha wine makers, reported in two posts, here and here. It is worth emphasising that there can be a world of difference between the two (which I have categorised separately below), additionally between Vinho de Talha DOC wines and those wines (let’s call them hybrid) which ferment in talha without skins or on skins but only for a short period.
Typically made by producers whose bread and butter is mainstream wines, contemporary talha/amphora styles tend to be fresher, with more refined phenolics/tannins. Benchmark Vinho de Talha DOC examples have texture and layer thanks to skin contact. And they are capable of great finesse in the right hands and the right pot! Check out my Decanter report here on Portugal’s most expensive wine release – Herdade do Rocim Jupiter Code 01 2015. Whilst friendly, entry level contemporary Vinho de Talha and ‘hybrid’ examples can be a little too ‘clean’ and less interesting for it.
Conversely, the more traditional styles from dedicated talha makers now bottling their wines can tip into oxidative and lack freshness and/or detail. But the best are spicy and multi-layered. Technically trained winemakers are, perhaps, better able to hedge against losing purity and freshness without losing personality or ‘soul.’ Treading the line brilliantly, XXVI Talhas are a case in point.
As this tasting demonstrated, quality and style is varied within each category. The different grapes, terroir and pots themselves (clay density, porosity, size and condition) influence the resulting wines and, where bottling these wines is a relatively new development, inevitably producers are still finding their way.
If you are interested to find out more, the Alentejo Wine Commission has published a terrific guide with video interviews about the history and evolution of talha wines here.
The chapter about talha wines in Simon Woolf’s and Ryan Opaz’s new book, ‘Foot Trodden, Portugal and The Wines That Time Forgot,’ is a great read on the traditional culture of (unbottled) talha wines.
The Centro Interpretativo do Vinho de Talha opened at Praça 25 de Abril 11-14, Vila de Frades, in 2020 to lead visitors through the history, culture and process of talha winemaking. Moves are afoot to reinforce the culture and tradition of talha wines yet further by applying for UNESCO Intangible Heritage Cultural status.
Last September, a group of producers independently established the Association of Vinho de Talha Producers (APVT) to protect and promote traditional talha wines with their own seal of identity and quality. You will see ‘APVT’ alongside the names of producer members below.
domaine Georgia 