The Lisboa Wine Region
Discover * Visit * Taste
For the wine lover visiting Lisbon, a visit to the city’s wine country couldn’t be easier. Not every capital city has vineyards on its doorstep but in this case most of the vineyards and wineries are within reach. It is easy to arrange ad hoc visits or plan a route taking in two or three quintas, with a stop for lunch. Take a trip west to visit Colares & Carcavelos, taking in the castle and its park in Sintra and have lunch near the ocean at the atmospheric Casa da
Dizima in Paço de Arcos, or even in Colares, with some seafood overlooking the ocean. Go to Carcavelos and visit the Palace of the Marquis of Pombal, where the beautiful, octagonal stone Casal da Manteiga cellar is used to barrel-age ‘new’ fortified wines. At an hour’s easy drive west from Lisbon, Sintra is home to the romantic Palace
of Pena. Nearby, close to the ocean is the Colares DOC where a visit to the atmospheric cellars of Portugal’s oldest winemaking cooperative Adega
Regional de Colares is a must. Ask to see the old chestnut autofermenters with their dramatic, functional beauty and while tasting the distinctive local wines admire the majesty of the barrel cellar with its enormous stone flags and rows of venerable barrels, made from exotic Brazilian hardwoods. You can also move towards the east side and start in Bucelas with a quick stop by the Museum of Arinto or even tasting wines at Quinta da Romeira, among others, where where you’ll experience the range of the Arinto grape. While here, you can have a great meal in the tradicional restaurant “Barreto Saloio” in the heart of the village. Keep going and visit Arruda by dropping by the
Quinta de São Sebastião, a place where you can not only taste wines but also enjoy “Dressage” shows.
Up north, only at a forty-minute drive from Lisbon you have an Estate’s cluster. You can drive to wineries like the historic estate of DFJ Wines where you get a sense of history and taste an array of different wines. Quinta da Boavista, one of Casa Santos Lima’s estates in Alenquer, is a dramatic, modern winery overlooking vineyards planted in gentle rolling slopes. One might even find a dinosaur bone protruding from these ancient soils. You can always do a whole day and visit the Lisbon Wine Family wineries, Quinta de Chocapalha, Quinta do Monte d’Oiro (both Alenquer) and
Quinta de Sant’Ana (Torres Vedras). These are three family-owned estates located less than one hour from the city of Lisbon. They work together and share wine philosophies but are proud of the individual terroirs that make them different from each other. While you’re near Torres Vedras, drop by the modern winery of Adega Mãe, have a wine tasting and lunch where they serve the well known “Bacalhau” dishes. If you’re looking for a more historical drive, go to Óbidos DOC, visit the medieval village within the castle walls and drive to Companhia Agrícola do Sanguinhal, where you can walk the gorgeous gardens, vineyards and even get a glimpse of an old distillery. Alternatively, you can go to Quinta do
Gradil, walk the vineyards, do a wine tasting and have an amazing meal at their restaurant. When staying in the wine country you can plan an overnight at the rustic modern country house hotel of Quinta dos Machados near Mafra, a short 20 minute drive from the airport, perfect for wine lovers.