It is almost impossible to go to a Portugese Wine tasting, or be wine tasting in Portugal without coming across a Herdade Do Esporão wine. With my deep passion for Portugese wines and love of Portugal, I was very excited to visit the winery. Located in the Alentejo wine region, the winery has almost 700 hectares that are organically farmed. Herdade Do Esporão grows 40 different grape varieties, 4 types of olives and they also have orchards. The types of grapes they grow include Alicante Bouchet, Aragonês, Syrach, Trincadeira, Cabernet Sauvignon, Bastardo, Touriga Nacional (my favorite!), Petit Verdot, Touriga Francs, Antäo Vaz, Roupiero, Arinto, Casteläo, and More to just to name a few. 😊
The property the estate is on goes back to 1267, and the estate grounds contains 3 buildings with Heritage status. The winery, however, was found in 1973 and it was in 1997 when it opened its wine tasting room. The room has been updated in the last few years and is simply stunning. I did a lunch with a wine pairing (the menu “carte blanche’) and the chef served local inspired dishes that were paired with their beautiful wines and it was a wonderful (and filling!) experience.