5-Day Heritage & Food Tour in Alentejo

Day 1: Évora, world heritage site by UNESCO

The Private driver is waiting for you at Lisbon Airport or at your hotel in Lisbon.

We will take you to visit one of the most serene and unique landscapes in the world, the Alentejo.

In the afternoon Check-in at Mar de Ar Aqueduto Historic Design Hotel & SPA. Located very near the historic center of Évora, this is your starting point for the best wine experiences in the Alentejo region. The hotel arises from the adaptation of the old Sepúlveda Palace, a sixteenth-century building that has preserved a magnificent chapel, the vaulted ceilings, and a set of three windows in Manuelino style (architectural style named after King Manuel) in the main façade. This boutique hotel, built according to the modern concepts of architecture and contemporary design, offers a 220 m2 SPA, 64 rooms, and comprises the Degust'AR restaurant, where you can enjoy the Mediterranean flavors with the signature of Chef António Nobre.

We suggest a visit to the city, there are several reasons of interest to visit freely. Évora's well-preserved historic center is one of the richest monuments in Portugal, worth the epithet of City-Museum. The Roman Temple of Évora, one of the most important Roman monuments in Portugal. It is located at the highest point of the city and was part of the Roman forum. It is thought to have been created around the 1st century to honor Emperor Augustus but later came to be known as the Temple of Diana. The Cathedral was built between the 13th and 14th centuries in Gothic style, it is one of the most important medieval cathedrals in the country, with a plan inspired by the Romanesque Lisbon Cathedral. In the 14th century a cloister was built and the statues of the apostles of the main portal, the masterpiece of Portuguese medieval sculpture, were carved. In the 18th century, the chancel was rebuilt in an exuberant Baroque style. The Church of San Francisco was reconstructed from the reign of D. João II and finished in the time of D. Manuel. Its architecture and decoration mix the Gothic, Mudejar and Manueline styles. Chapel of the Bones located in the Church of San Francisco was built in the eighteenth century and is entirely lined with human bones. It is known by the famous phrase written at the entrance "We bones that we are here for your hope".

Later, dinner is waiting at Degust'ar Restaurant. Located on the ground floor of the Sepúlveda Palace building, the Degust'AR restaurant has the gastronomic signature of Chef António Nobre. The menu has as its starting point in the Alentejo cuisine, and the Chef develops his creative inspiration by exploring the Mediterranean flavors. The atmosphere is refined, comfortable and intimate. The vaulted ceilings, the horseshoe arches, and some frescos on the walls give the restaurant a unique and special character.

End of your day.

Day 2: Alentejo Wine Region

Breakfast in the hotel.

The Private Driver is waiting for you in the lobby of the Hotel.

You will discover the Monte da Ravasqueira. The Vineyard is located in the municipality of Arraiolos. The cellar is inspired in Napa Valley, California, and is equipped with the most advanced technology for a qualified and rigorous control of the wine-making process. Monte da Ravasqueira enjoys excellent geological and climatic conditions for the production of the best wine that Alentejo can offer, taking advantage of its terroir. There were strong investments in the plantation of vines as well as in oenological equipment. Monte da Ravasqueira has 65 ha. (160 ac) of total vineyards area and an annual production of over 700 thousand bottles and is constantly committed to producing wines of the highest quality. In addition to the wine production, there are other activities related to a cork, olive oil, honey, cattle breeding, and fattening of the Alentejo black pig. You will have a visit to the vineyards, winery, bottling line, cellars, and the Carriage Museum with five wine tastings: Monte da Ravasqueira Colheita, Monte da Ravasqueira Reserva, Monte da Ravasqueira Monocastas and Monte da Ravasqueira Vinha das Romãs.

After the visit discovers the Adega da Cartuxa. Located in the former refectory of the Jesuit retirement home, they taught at the University of Évora in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. With his expulsion in 1759, by order of the Marquis of Pombal, the property became part of the state, starting a few years later, in 1776, working as an important mill of wine absorbed the wine production in the region. Acquired in the nineteenth century by the Eugénio de Almeida family, the Cartuxa Cellar has undergone several renovations and expansions over time, preserving the richness of its architectural and historical memory. The logo identifies wines such as Vinea, EA, Foral de Évora, Cartuxa, Scala Coeli and the legendary Pêra-Manca, as well as the olive oils Álamos, EA and Cartuxa Gourmet. You will have a Visit to the cellar and 3 wines tasting Eugénio de Almeida Foundation Selection, accompanied by sausage, cheese, jam region, and others delicacies. Experience also includes olive oil tasting.

Return to the Hotel

End of day.

Day 3: Heritage and Wine

Breakfast in the Hotel followed by Check Out.

In the morning, the Private Driver is waiting for you in the lobby of the Hotel.

You will have a visit to the historical heritage of the Herdade do Esporão which features one of the most curious historic areas of the region. The Herdade of Esporão presents itself as a Wine Estate steeped in history, producer of outstanding quality wines. The Esporão vines are located in the heart of Reguengos de Monsaraz, where wines are more balanced and seductive, simultaneously thriving and pleasant, luxuriant, and with good aging potential. If the vines are the lung of the Herdade do Esporão, the cellar is the heart that beats to the rhythm of the harvest and as the result of the work defined by the calendar and by the enology team. During this visit, you will travel to the Vineyards, discover the new sustainable planting techniques, the biological Vineyards, and pioneering initiatives in the field of sustainability. We understand the richness of our biodiversity. We complete the tour with the visit to the Historic Center where you can contemplate archaeological pieces with about 5000 years of the Perdigões Archaeological Complex.

After the visit, you will have a guided tour to the Herdade do Esporão Wineries and Cellars and a tutored tasting of Defesa Esporão White, Esporão Reserva red and Quinta dos Murças Reserva red.

Departure to the Herdade do Sobroso Country House.

Check-in at Herdade do Sobroso Country House. Herdade do Sobroso is placed in the county of Vidigueira and is delimited by the mountain of Mendro at the north, the River Guadiana at east and south an immense plain as far as the eyes can see. Herdade do Sobroso was born of great desire and feeling, the desire to create rural tourism that reflects a taste for architecture, for travel, and for receiving, and the feeling that connects to the ground, Alentejo, the creation of wines of the Herdade. The Herdade offers two country houses with African inspiration: The " Casa da Quinta", is the main house with five rooms and common areas, each designed in a different style but always respecting the tradition of Alentejo, and the "Casa da Cegonha", independent from the main house with five small apartments with kitchenette. Herdade do Sobroso also has a cozy Hunt Club, prepared to receive the hunters, family, and friends.

End of day.

Day 4: Herdade do Sobroso

Breakfast in the Hotel.

Enjoy the Herdade facilities.

You will enjoy a lunch of traditional cuisine. Pure moments from Alentejo, The Herdade do Sobroso Restaurant presents traditional dishes from Alentejo cuisine, one of the tastiest and appreciated of the country, accompanied with the wine which is produced on it. This place breathes authenticity and good wines.

In the afternoon discover 50 hectares of vineyards. To the lovers of wine tourism and synergetic tourism, Herdado do Sobroso offers a unit of Rural Tourism integrated in the middle of the property vines. In its 1600 hectares, the Herdade build its bodega and the center of wine tourism where reconciles the production and the pleasure of wine with the surrounding beauty of nature. The landscapes of the Alqueva dam, next to the Herdade, are magnificent and the roman ruins of São Cucufate are a history lesson about the evolution of wine throughout the centuries. After the visit, you will have a guided tour of the Herdade do Sobroso Vineyard and Winery with 2 Wine Tastings.

End of day

Day 5: Last day in paradise

Breakfast in the Hotel followed by Check-out.

Transfer to Lisbon.

End of the Tour

Highlights:

• Stay at Mar de Ar Aqueduto Historic Design Hotel & SPA.
• Stay at Herdade do Sobroso Country House
• Dinner at Degust'ar Restaurant
• Visit to the Monte da Ravasqueira Vineyard
• Visit to Herdade do Esporão Wineries and Cellars
• Visit the Wine Estate of Herdade do Sobroso with wine tastings