Portugal's wine regions, beyond the Douro

Ask anyone about Portuguese wine and they’ll say port and the Douro. And they’d be right to. But Portugal is one of the most exciting wine countries in the world precisely because there’s so much beyond it. For travellers who love a glass, the lesser-known regions are where the real discovery lies.

The Alentejo

South of Lisbon, the great plains of the Alentejo produce some of Portugal’s most acclaimed reds (generous, sun-warmed and food-friendly), poured by the families who farm the cork oaks around them. Long lunches, no hurry: this is wine country at its most soulful.

Setúbal & the Arrábida

Just south of Lisbon, the Arrábida hills give us Moscatel de Setúbal, a honeyed fortified wine with centuries of history. And the perfect pairing with a day among turquoise coves. We weave it into our Arrábida wine day.

The green north

The cool, wet northwest is the home of vinho verde: the lightly sparkling, just-picked white that tastes of a Lisbon summer. Fresh, low in alcohol, and impossibly easy to drink by the sea.

The hidden corners

There’s more for the curious: the structured reds of the Dão, the elegant sparkling wines of Bairrada, the rare vines of Colares grown directly in the coastal sands near Sintra. Among the few in the world to have survived the phylloxera plague. And, out in the Atlantic, the singular fortified wines of Madeira.

Our take

You could spend a fortnight tasting your way across Portugal and only scratch the surface. The pleasure isn’t in the famous names. It’s in the small estates, the families, and the bottles you’ll never find at home.

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Tell us what’s in your glass when you’re happiest, and we’ll design a journey around it. Start a conversation, and let’s pour something memorable.