Cartuxa, Évora: the Jesuits' Retreat and the King's Palace

In 1580, the house says, the Jesuits who ran Évora's university bought Quinta de Valbom as a rest house for their teachers. Their old refectory now holds the French-oak vats where Pêra-Manca red spends about 18 months; the bottles then rest under the Carthusian monastery next door, which gave the winery its name. Walk out of the walls to taste in the refectory, sit in the monks' church, count the roundels on the gates of the palace where, the Foundation says, young King Sebastião lived in the early 1570s, and end with a glass in town.

What to do there

4 things to do

1. 1 Taste Where the Jesuits Ate Wine · Price: moderate

   A booked tasting in the old refectory of the Jesuits' rest house.

   In 1580, the house says, the Jesuit rector of Évora's university bought Quinta de Valbom to lodge his teachers; the winery now fills their old refectory.

   Where: Quinta de Valbom, Estrada da Soeira, 2 km and 27 minutes on foot from Praça do Giraldo by Rua de Aviz.

   What: find the French-oak tonéis where Pêra-Manca red ages for about 18 months.

   How: book a 1h30 visit (Portuguese or English); the Cartuxa visit pours 3 wines and olive oil, €35.

   Backup: a visit without tasting costs €15.

   Log Memory
2. 2 Keep the Monks' Silence History · Free

   Free: the Carthusian church that gave the winery its name.

   The winery is named after this monastery, the house says. Seven Carthusian monks arrived in 1587 and seven refounded it in 1960; the last left on 31 October 2019; nuns have kept it enclosed since 2022.

   Where: the church, 817 m (11 minutes) on foot from the winery.

   What: sit one silent minute; the Foundation's guided visit here is called “Aqui não se fala, respira-se”: here one does not speak, one breathes. Pêra-Manca bottles rest three to four years in the cellars below.

   How: free.

   Backup: booked guided visits (45 minutes, €6), Tuesday to Sunday.

   Log Memory
3. 3 Count the Roundels on the King's Palace History · Free

   Free: the gateways of the palace where young King Sebastião lodged.

   The Foundation says King Sebastião lived here in the early 1570s while attending Évora's university; he died at Alcácer Quibir in 1578.

   Where: the Páteo de São Miguel, near the Roman temple, 2 km back into town.

   What: the Castro family “das Treze Arruelas” (of the thirteen roundels), later Counts of Basto, set their arms on the pediments of both gateways. Find both shields and count the roundels.

   How: free; the palace rooms also open free on weekend afternoons.

   Backup: Páteo Cartuxa pours 3 wines for €35 with no booking.

   Log Memory
4. 4 Pour the Whole Range by the Glass Wine · Price: moderate

   The Foundation's restaurant, a short walk from the palace.

   End at the Foundation's own table. The Enoteca Cartuxa opened in July 2016 next to the Roman temple and the cathedral, and pours the whole wine list by the glass alongside Alentejo cooking reworked for today.

   Where: Rua Vasco da Gama 15, 138 m from the Páteo.

   What: order one wine you tasted at Valbom and one you did not, and compare them side by side.

   How: open every day; book on 266 748 348.

   Backup: the Páteo Cartuxa tastings (step 3) need no booking.

   Log Memory

Insider tips

• No visit pours Pêra-Manca red; the winery sells it only to guided-visit guests, one bottle each, while stock lasts.

• Book by email or phone; replies can take two working days, and arriving more than 15 minutes late can cost you the slot.

• Prefer no wine? A visit without tasting exists, and children up to 17 come free, without tasting.

• The winery shuts on EA Live festival days: six July concert nights beside its own vineyards.