New book addresses the history of cuttle wine in the Baixo Alentejo

Uthe ‘travel’ through the history, culture and knowledge associated with butchery wine, one of the most unique wine traditions that remains ‘live’ in the Baixo Alentejo, is the proposal of the new book coordinated by historian Manuel Baiôa.

The work “O Vinho de Talha no Baixo Alentejo” is a show “about the wine, but also about the communities that produced it, the potters who made the pots, the vineyards that shaped the landscape and the wineries and taverns where the wine became a fundamental element of Alentejo sociability”, Manuel Baiôa said today.

In statements to the agency Lusa, the historian and researcher explained that the book intends to demonstrate that “the traditional Alentejo cuttle wine is not an unchanged reproduction of Roman wine, but the result of a long historical construction”.

Over the last 2,000 years, since Roman times, this wine tradition, which Manuel Baiôa said exists only “in Portugal, Spain, Armenia and Georgia”, has undergone improvements and evolutions, which make modern butchery wine today “an Alentejo wine”.

“ He inherited techniques and containers from an ancient Mediterranean tradition, which Alentejo communities have been transforming over many centuries, adapting them to the natural, economic and cultural conditions of the territory,” he said.

As an example, the historian and also professor of secondary education and the Polytechnic University of Beja told Lusa that Roman cutlets, contrary to what happens in Alentejo, “were semi-entered, smaller and had no bleeding hole”.

“ And the tanning, which is the phase of contact of skins and grains with liquid, is longer in Alentejo cuttle wine”, he added, referring that the book alludes to other differences over the centuries.

The work comes under the Lower Alentejo – European Wine City 2026, being promoted by the Intermunicipal Community of the Lower Alentejo (CIMBAL), associated with the project Heritages of the Lower Alentejo, cofinanced by the Alentejo2030 program.

The presentation is scheduled for 18:00 next day 22, at the Interpretative Centre of the Wine of Talha, in Vila de Frades, in the municipality of Vidigueira, Beja district, indicated CIMBAL.

This is the first edition, but still this month, “a second edition will come out”, in charge of the Colibri Editions, for sale, Manuel Baiôa, who is the co-author of the work, in partnership with João Pereira Santos, professor of secondary education, and photojournalist Ricardo Zambujo, of the weekly Diário do Alentejo.

According to the researcher, the reader will be able to ‘leave’ eight chapters, over 192 pages, that “run the history of the vineyard and wine in the Baixo Alentejo, from the first Mediterranean contacts to the present”, as well as “story of people and places”.

“ From the vestiges of Roman wine production, such as those of São Cucufate, in Vidigueira, to the last potters masters who continue to manufacture pots ", illustrated the coordinator.

In addition, he pointed out, he traces the evolution from “the old vineyards of drought to the family wineries and taverns where, for generations, wine accompanied work, gastronomy, singing and daily living”.

The work resulted from “a demanding and multidisciplinary work” developed “over several years”, based on consultations “of scientific bibliography, documentary sources and iconographies, studies and archaeological reports and specialized works”.

It also incorporates “interviews and direct contacts with butchers and potters who have shared their knowledge, experiences and knowledge transmitted over generations.”.

“ I believe that this book can contribute to a better knowledge and appreciation of butchery wine, but also to a greater awareness of the risks that threaten the continuity of this heritage ", highlighted.

Doctorate in History Contemporary by the University of Évora, Manuel Baiôa is a researcher at CIDEHUS – Centro Interdisciplinary de História, Culturas e Sociedades of that academy.