Alentejo Epic Trip
Alentejo is the place where time and space meet. Here your spirit will slow down and you will gladly mingle with the locals, breathing the local calm and happiness!
Three-days itinerary
Alentejo is an endless open space! Colours and smells burst from the land while the night falls upon the planes and when finally the night comes, it is the moment to stare at the skies and watch the stars with the naked eye.
The real Alentejan soul is not only in the unmistakable outline of the typical white and yellow houses painting the tops of the hills, in the traditional arts and skills conserved and renewed, but also in the “choral chanting” that only the Alentejanos know how to sing, with their heart and soul.
Journey Schedule
Itinerary 1
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 3 (option)
DAY 1
Cork and wine experience
By the morning, you will visit a cork factory and get to know more about this fantastic product and its cycle. Every year, between May and July, men set out into the fields in the early morning to extract cork and work this prime materia. You will get the chance to know how people work the skin of the trees, in a cork oak forest in Alentejo!
Your adventure will proceed to a beautiful wine estate, in Estremoz. The manor house, from the 18th century, is a reference, not only for its beautiful architecture and rich interior details, but also for its history and high quality wines! Here you will enjoy lunch and a visit to the farm and winery, where ancestral productions methods are combined in full harmony with the most modern technologies.
This will be an unforgettable experience, where the owners present their guests with an environment of sumptuous, good taste, always in the company of the genuine Alentejo gastronomy and premium wines.
DAY 2
Alentejo from above and beyond
Adventure will begin in Monsaraz, close to Alqueva Lake, for an memorable ballooning experience! Watch the sky in a peaceful, slow-moving way through the skies of Alentejo, while enjoying the landscape seen from above. In the end of your ride, a complimentary glass of Champagne awaits for you!
A hot air balloon will be, undeniably, a lifelong memory, as well as photos that are going to be the subject of conversation among family and friends forever.
Following such thrilling experience, you will proceed to a cooking class in Évora. Alentejo cuisine has always been linked to agriculture and its genuine products. Although simple, it can be very rich and complex. In a comfortable and historical environment, you will be challenged to perform traditional recipes, always with supervision of someone knowledgeable, who will obviously tell you all the little secrets for a great Alentejan meal!
Accomodation in Évora.
DAY 3
The White and Golden Itinerary
You will travel to Vila Viçosa. In the middle of the peaceful Alentejo and among breathtaking scenery, the marble industry leaves no one indifferent. This is one of the biggest exports of Alentejo and certainly one of the unique experiences that Alentejo offers!
The program begins with a brief explanation about geology, in the Marble Center. Visit proceeds to quarries where you will learn about the marble extraction and then to the sawmill, where the marble is sent after extraction to be carved.
Lunch will be served on a famous Wine Estate, in the region of Estremoz. Set in a typical Alentejo landscape, surrounded by vineyards, the Legacy Winery Restaurant is an intimate space, ideal for those who appreciate a fine gastronomic experience, which can be enjoyed in a slow living perspective.
Before we leave to Lisbon, you will experience an olive oil tasting, at Monte da Oliveira Velha Estate. You will discover the estate history, learn about the Galega olive tree, native to Portugal, and also taste our extra virgin olive oil.
Returning to Lisbon.
DAY 3 (option)
Southern Alentejo and the Amphora Wines
The day starts with a visit to a special wine estate in Vidigueira, where some of the Alentejo’s most iconic grape varieties, such as the Antão Vaz, were born on this century-old estate. Here, high thermic amplitudes combine with poor soils, making these unique conditions for producing wines with character and elegance. For wine lovers, this is a remarkable wine experience!
The adventure goes on in Vila de Frades, to lunch in a restaurant with homemade food by the hands of local people. The wine consumed in this winery is made in old “Talhas Mouriscas” (Amphoras Wine) that also serve as an adornment to the establishment.
After this lunch, and depending on your timetable, we will make a quick stop at the potter of Talhas (Amphoras), where Mr. António Rocha is the only artisan where the typical alentejan wine amphoras are still made.
At last, we will visit one more winery: a project that only produces amphora wines. In this winery, you get to know the artisanal process of winemaking in clay jars and the traditions behind this heritage left by the Romans in Alentejo, more than 2000 years ago. It is a unique experience that allows you to revisit the past in a centenary cellar, with clay amphoras from the 17th century!
Itinerary 2
DAY 1
DAY 2
DAY 3
DAY 4
DAY 1
Luxury wine and food experience
By the morning, you will visit a cork factory and get to know more about cork extraction. You will get the chance to see how people work the skin of the trees, in a cork oak forest in Alentejo and the process from the tree to the cork wine stopper!
After this, you will visit a very special winery: one in which the winemaker is deeply connected to producing wine from native Alentejo wine grapes, close to extinction. Here you will taste surprising wines with traditional delicious tapas!
The adventure will continue in a beautiful wine estate in the Northern Alentejo, which manor house from the 18th century is a reference, not only for its beauty but also for its history and the quality of its wines. Here you will enjoy lunch: an unforgettable and luxury wine and food experience!
DAY 2
Luxury wine and food experience
Firstly, you will visit an historic winery, nearby Évora. The estate, located in the demarcated region of Alentejo (DOC), stretches over 800 hc, consisting of vineyards, a walnut orchard, and a vast area of cork forest, where sheep and deer graze freely. Firstly, you will visit the property in a 4×4 Jeep, where you can enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and get to know the Alentejo cork oak forest ecosystem. After this, a magnificent wine tasting awaits for you, with white, rose, and red wines.
Following this thrilling experience that will give you a clear perception of the Alentejo landscape, you will proceed to a cooking class in Évora. Alentejo cuisine has always been linked to agriculture and its genuine products. Although simple, it is a rich and complex cuisine, seasoned with different herbs and olive oil, in the typical style of the region. In a comfortable and historical environment, you will be challenged to perform traditional recipes, always supervised by someone knowledgeable, who will tell you all the little secrets of Alentejo cuisine!
DAY 3
Southern Alentejo and the Amphora Wines
In Vidigueira, you will visit a special wine state. Here, the high thermic amplitudes combine with poor soils, making these unique conditions for producing wines with character and elegance. For wine lovers, this is a unquestionably a remarkable wine experience!
The adventure goes on in Vila de Frades, where you will lunch in a restaurant for an authentic meal, with homemade food by the experienced hands of local people. The wine consumed in this winery is made in old “Talhas Mouriscas” (Amphoras Wine) that also serve as an adornment to the establishment.
After this lunch, and depending on your timetable, we will make a quick stop at the potter of Talhas (Amphoras), where the typical Alentejo wine amphoras are still made!
Finally, we will visit a last winery: a fantastic project that just produces amphora wines. In this winery, you get to know the artisanal process of winemaking in clay jars and the traditions behind this heritage left by the Romans in Alentejo, more than 2000 years ago. It is a unique experience that allows you to revisit the past in a centenary cellar, with clay amphoras from the 17th century!
DAY 4
Wines on the Alentejo Shore
Visit a winery on the Alentejo shore and taste its refreshing wines! Here you will find an authentic country with genuine people! Nearby Sado Estuary Natural Reserve, is a place with unique beauty of the flora and fauna. This is a nesting place for numerous birds, as well as home for the only resident population of dolphins in Portugal. A mesmerizing place, with white sandy beachs, strechting for more than 60km. Here time stops!
Later, you will have lunch at a terrific restaurant on the beach, overlooking the Atlantic. You can enjoy the delicious fresh grilled fish and fresh seafood and take your time to observe the stunning scenery.
In the afternoon you will visit a Distillery of Gin, Vodka, and Aguardente de Medronho brandy. Here, you can get to know the diverse animals living in freedom and the botanicals that give life to the farm’s production. As you walk along the Botanists’ Trail, you will learn more about each botanical and how it is values the gin production. End with a fantastic tasting on a very special and natural landscape.
Return to Lisbon and enjoy the mesmerizing views over the Setúbal bay and the National Park of Arrábida, on a magnificent ferryboat ride!
Join us on this itinerary and discover the amazing wine and food of Alentejo, while exploring its history and cultural traditions!
