Symington Family Estates has launched a range of wines made from grapes grown at its Alentejo estate.

The range is the wine company’s first product to be made outside the Douro area.

Acquired in 2017, the Alentejo estate is located between 490m and 550m above sea level in the Serra de São Mamede mountains. Located south of the Tagus river and the Portalegre region, it is cooler and wetter than other parts of the Alentejo.

“With its higher altitude, it has a cooler, wetter microclimate than the hot Alentejo plain.”

Symington Family Estates CEO Rupert Symington said: “This stunning property has many appealing characteristics for our family. With its higher altitude, it has a cooler, wetter microclimate than the hot Alentejo plain, and its less fertile soils produce low yields of excellent quality grapes.

“Both factors make it an ideal site for us, given our long experience in the challenging conditions of the Douro. We believe we can produce some really special and unique wines from these vineyards.”

The company’s head winemaker Charles Symington oversaw the production of the pilot wine batch.

Symington’s range includes five wines, which are produced at Quinta da Fonte Souto, in the Portalegre sub-region of the Alentejo.

The range includes red and white wine under the Quinta da Fonte Souto label, as well as red and white wines under the Florão label, which is developed for a younger audience. The brand’s flagship wine Vinha do Souto is a blend of syrah and Alicante Bouschet.