More than 35% of all wine produced in the Alentejo is already made under the sustainable certification of the Alentejo Regional Viticulture Commission (CVRA), an initiative that has now expanded to include 30 producers in the region, announced today.
In a statement, the CVRA revealed that the Sustainable Wines of the Alentejo Program (PSVA), through which “seals” of sustainable production are awarded, “reached the historic milestone of 30 producers”.
“The result consolidates the commitment of the Alentejo wine sector, ensuring that more than 35% of all wine produced in the region is made under rigorous environmental, social and economic standards,” he noted.
According to this viticultural commission, the PSVA now reaches “this round number” with the attribution of the seal to the wine producer Ervideira, which has a winery in the municipality of Reguengos de Monsaraz and whose roots in the Alentejo go back to 1880.
“The producer obtained valid recognition until 2031, after an audit that confirmed compliance with the program’s rules for the viticulture and winery components with restriction to ‘origin production,’” she/he noted.
According to the CVRA, the network of PSVA-certified producers now covers the production of grapes from more than 5,750 hectares of vineyards, an area that represents more than 25% of the Alentejo’s total.
“The program guarantees that more than a third of the regional production, in a global universe of approximately 87 million liters of wine, is already produced with sustainable certification,” he stressed.
Cited in the statement, the PSVA coordinator, João Barroso, highlighted that “reaching the threshold of 30 certified producers is evidence of the high and growing commitment that the Alentejo has toward sustainable development.”
“These results demonstrate that sustainability is a structural change in the vineyards and wineries, with a direct impact on wine quality, the preservation of ecosystems and biodiversity, the choice of materials and packaging, optimized water and energy management, and the socioeconomic strengthening of our region,” he asserted.
The CVRA president, Luís Sequeira, also cited in the statement, considered that “the critical mass found in the Alentejo with regard to sustainable production is unique in Portugal and a global benchmark.”
“The continuous growth in the number of certified producers reflects the industry’s commitment to adopting rigorous practices for the resilience of the territory itself,” he added.
Considered a pioneer in Portugal’s wine sector, the PSVA was created by the CVRA in 2013 and officially launched in 2015.
The certification process, whose first assignments date back to 2020, is ensured by CVRA’s partner bodies through demanding annual audits, which assess the implementation of 171 criteria in fieldwork and in the winery.
