Herdade Aldeia de Cima

Herdade Aldeia de Cima sits in the Serra do Mendro, a schist mountain range marking the transition between Alto and Baixo Alentejo, near Santana in Portel. The estate covers 3,500 hectares of montado, the oak forest and pasture system typical of the region, and reaches 424 metres at its highest point, the summit of the range. The estate produces wine, medronho spirit, olive oil, honey and cork. Its 22 vineyard plots, spread across five vineyards at varying altitudes, are farmed under certified organic practices and are part of the Alentejo Wines Sustainability Programme. Grapes are harvested by hand. Winemaker António Cavalheiro, supported by Joaquim Faia in viticulture, focuses on the micro-terroirs shaped by the Serra do Mendro's skeletal soils and Atlantic winds, which create temperature swings of up to 20°C between day and night. The land has been in the Amorim family for generations. Luísa Amorim grew up in Alentejo and learned from her father, Américo Amorim, the value of planting cork oaks for the long term. With her husband, Francisco Rêgo, and their daughters, she continues that work, tending the cork oak forest and supporting the surrounding community of Santana, including its traditional architecture. The montado itself hosts over 200 animal species, 135 plant species and 140 aromatic herbs. Scrubland of rockrose, broom, gorse and heather provides habitat for Iberian partridge, hare, little bustard, fox, Egyptian mongoose, wild boar and the Alentejo black pig. The estate organises visits, including tastings in its boutique winery, where wine ages in wooden vats, foudres, concrete tanks and clay amphorae.