Herdade do Esporão Estate

Modern estate on land with Roman archaeological finds. The winery combines cutting-edge winemaking with 2,000 years of history. Restaurant, art collection, and extensive vineyards on the sun-baked Alentejo plains.

What to do there

5 things to do

1. 1 Find the Woodhenge They Nearly Paved Over History · Free

   In 1996, Esporão cleared land to plant a new vineyard. The bulldozer stopped. What it hit was a 5,000-year-old sun temple — older than Stonehenge.

   In 1996, Esporão's team prepared to plant a vineyard at their Perdigões sub-estate when a bulldozer hit something. What they'd found: concentric ditched circles built between 3400 and 2000 BC — 16 enclosures covering 16 hectares, with a timber Woodhenge at the centre, 20 metres in diameter, aligned with the summer solstice sunrise. It's the ONLY structure of its type ever found in the Iberian Peninsula, predating Stonehenge by several hundred years. Over 200 objects from the site are now in the Archaeological Museum inside the ground floor of the Esporão Tower. Stand inside the Tower Museum and look for the Perdigões site plan — the concentric rings drawn on the excavation diagram. Count the circles (16 ditched enclosures). Then find the photo or model of the Timber Circle itself: a 20m wooden ring oriented so that dawn light on the solstice strikes straight through the entrance.

   Backup: If the guide is unavailable, the museum panels are in Portuguese and English. Look for 'Complexo Arqueológico dos Perdigões' — the key panel shows the site plan. The Woodhenge model or diagram is near the centre of the display.

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2. 2 Taste the Australian Wine Nobody Expected Here Wine · Price: moderate

   David Baverstock arrived from Adelaide in 1992 and asked: what if we planted Sémillon here? The answer became Esporão's Private Selection White — the most unusual flagship wine in Portugal.

   David Baverstock is from Adelaide, Australia. He arrived at Esporão in 1992 and has won Winemaker of the Year in Portugal twice — in 2013 and 2015 — the only non-Portuguese person ever to win it once, let alone twice. When he arrived, he looked at the Alentejo climate and recognized the Barossa Valley. So he brought a Barossa grape with him — Sémillon, a variety with no history in Portugal. He planted it at Herdade dos Perdigões (the same estate where the bulldozer found the Woodhenge four years later). During the Wine Bar tasting or estate tour, ask the guide: 'Is the Private Selection White available to taste?' The Classic Tour (€18) covers Colheita and Reserva levels; for Private Selection wines, request the Premium Tasting upgrade. The result is 100% Sémillon — possibly the only example from Portugal, tasting of apricot, ripe lemon, white pepper.

   Backup: If Premium Tasting isn't available, the Reserva Red is worth the story anyway — Aragonez (local name for Tempranillo) + Trincadeira + Alicante Bouschet; ask which vineyard block the Aragonez comes from. If the guide doesn't know, that tells you something too.

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3. 3 Locate the 1,200-Year-Old Olive Tree Adventure · Free

   Next to the medieval tower, older than the tower itself by 600 years, stands a Galega olive tree that was already ancient when King Afonso III drew the estate's boundary lines in 1267.

   Galega is the oldest olive variety in Portugal — the trees grow slowly, live for millennia, and produce an oil that is soft, sweet, and long-lasting. The specific tree next to the Esporão Tower dates to approximately 1,200 years ago — planted roughly 800–900 AD, 400 years before any Portuguese kingdom existed. In 1267, when King Afonso III drew the estate's legal boundaries, this tree was already 400 years old. Stand in the grove of Galega olive trees immediately adjacent to the tower (ask any staff member: 'Onde fica a oliveira antiga?') and put your hand on the bark. Then walk into the estate shop and find the Galega single-variety bottle. Smell the cap before paying — the oil from these trees has a delicate, sweet, almost floral character. Esporão has produced 155 gold medals in international olive oil competitions since 2012.

   Backup: If the specific ancient tree is not clearly marked, ask to see the 'centennial Galega grove' — there are multiple old trees in the courtyard area. The estate shop always has the Galega oil regardless of season.

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4. 4 Lunch at the Double Michelin Star Estate Wine · Price: high · Optional

   One Michelin Star for food. A second — the Green Star — specifically for sustainability. The vegetables are from 200 metres away. The oil is pressed from the grove outside the window.

   Chef Carlos Teixeira runs a zero-waste kitchen using only certified organic ingredients grown on this exact estate or sourced from local producers. This restaurant has both a Michelin Green Star (for sustainability) and faces directly over the Alqueva reservoir — Europe's largest artificial lake at 250 km². The vegetables on your plate were in the ground this morning. The olive oil was pressed in a building you walked past on the tour. The wine was made in the winery behind you. Book the Herdade do Esporão Restaurant in advance — reservas@esporao.com or +351 266 509 280. The Carta Branca menu (5 or 7 'moments') changes with the season based on what's ready. When the wine pairing arrives, ask the sommelier: 'Which wine from the estate best represents where we're sitting right now?' LUNCH ONLY (no dinner), closed Sundays and Mondays.

   Backup: If the restaurant is fully booked (common in high season — book 2+ weeks ahead), the estate Wine Bar serves petiscos (tapas) and wines by the glass. You lose the Michelin experience but keep the view and can still taste the full Esporão range. The bar is walk-in; no reservation needed.

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5. 5 Read the Boundary Lines That Haven't Moved Since 1267 History · Free

   In 1267, King Afonso III defined this estate's edges. The lines have not moved. You are standing inside a medieval land grant that survived revolutions, world wars, and the Carnation Revolution of 1974.

   In 1267, King Afonso III defined the boundaries of what was then called 'Defesa do Esporão.' The geographical lines of this herdade have not meaningfully changed in 758 years. Every vineyard you can see — the Aragonez planted in 1980, the Sémillon David Baverstock brought from Australia in 1992, the organic olives certified in 2019 — all sits within lines drawn by a medieval king. Stand anywhere at the estate entrance or historic centre looking outward toward the vineyards and plains. On any estate map (available at reception), find the outer boundary lines and ask: 'Which parts of the property have been here since 1267?' The answer is: all of it. Count the layers aloud: 5,000-year-old ceremonial site → 1,200-year-old olive tree → 1267 royal charter → 1457–1490 medieval tower → 1973 purchase → 1985 first wine → 1992 Australian winemaker → 1996 Woodhenge discovery → 2019 organic certification.

   Backup: The estate shop has a printed history timeline. If you can't access a tour guide, read the map legend at the estate entrance — it marks the historic centre, the tower, the vineyards by planting date, and the Perdigões sub-estate location.

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Insider tips

• Book lunch at the restaurant — farm-to-table excellence

• The archaeological tower shows Roman artifacts found on property

• Reserve wines are exceptional value

• Visit the olive oil production too