23 editor-picked estates growing Antao Vaz in Alentejo.
Where to taste Antao Vaz in Alentejo: the estates that grow it, how the region expresses the grape, and how to book a visit.
Winery of the Fundacao Eugenio de Almeida, a foundation established in 1963, farming 300 plus hectares near Evora, winemaking since the 1800s.
Tasting: Winery tours and tastings at Quinta de Valbom, near the Cartuxa Convent just outside Evora's historic centre.
Signature wines: Cartuxa Reserva, EA Tinto
Grower cooperative in Vidigueira founded in 1960, making DOC Alentejo Vinho de Talha in clay amphorae alongside conventional wines at its Casa das Talhas.
Tasting: Casa das Talhas wine tourism space with guided tastings daily from 10am to 4pm, booking recommended.
Signature wines: vidigueira-antao-vaz, vidigueira-reserva-branco, vidigueira-escolha-dos-socios-tinto
Grower cooperative founded in 1955 in the Borba sub-region, certifying DOC Alentejo wines from member farmed vineyards, with a tasting room, shop and restaurant.
Tasting: Guided winery visits Monday to Saturday at 11:00 and 15:00 with four tasting packages from 9.99 to 20.00 euros, plus a wine shop and an on site restaurant.
Signature wines: adega-de-borba-reserva-tinto, adega-de-borba-grande-reserva-tinto, adega-de-borba-vinhas-do-marmore-tinto, montes-claros-tinto, talhas-de-borba-tinto
Cooperative founded in 1954 in Portalegre, bottling the Conventual, Portalegre and Terras de Baco ranges from Serra de Sao Mamede vineyards.
Tasting: Winery visits Monday to Friday with prior booking; on site shop and an online store.
Signature wines: Conventual Reserva, Conventual, Portalegre DOC, Terras de Baco
Cooperative cellar in Redondo founded in 1956, grouping about 200 growers and making roughly twelve million litres a year, three quarters of it red.
Tasting: Visits and tastings in the tasting room Monday to Saturday 09:00 to 19:00, prior booking recommended.
Signature wines: Porta da Ravessa, Real Lavrador, Flos, AR Reserva, Albarrada
Reguengos de Monsaraz grower cooperative founded in 1971, whose members farm the vineyards behind its DOC Reguengos range, poured at a tasting shop in town.
Tasting: Seven booked tasting flights at the Loja Espaco CARMIM in central Reguengos de Monsaraz, Monday to Saturday, one of which pairs the tasting with a winery visit.
Signature wines: reguengos-doc-tinto, reguengos-doc-branco, reguengos-selecao-doc-tinto, reguengos-reserva-dos-socios-tinto, reguengos-garrafeira-dos-socios-tinto
Cooperative founded in 1951 at Granja in the Granja-Amareleja sub-region, working ungrafted Moreto vines and running a small wine museum on site.
Tasting: Small wine museum and cellar open Monday to Friday 09:00 to 12:00 and 14:00 to 17:00, prior booking advised.
Signature wines: Granja Amareleja Tinto DOC, Granja Amareleja Tinto DOC Premium, Granja Amareleja Branco DOC
Soares family Relais and Chateaux estate at Albernoa founded in 1998, farming 80 hectares for the Marias da Malhadinha and Monte da Peceguina wines.
Tasting: Guided estate and winery tours with tiered tastings and themed evening sessions, Monday to Saturday; hotel guests only on Sunday.
Signature wines: marias-da-malhadinha, monte-da-peceguina, malhadinha-brut-natural-rose
Grape growing family estate near Estremoz tracing to at least 1667, now run by brothers Luis and Carlos Mira across 220 hectares of vines aged twenty to sixty years.
Tasting: Wine tastings and purchases at the estate, with an 80 seat restaurant on site.
Signature wines: Herdade das Servas Reserva, Herdade das Servas Colheita
Reynolds family estate near Casa Branca whose 1901 winery still makes Alicante Bouschet led reds, including the long cellar aged Mouchao Tonel No 3-4.
Tasting: Tastings and guided visits for small groups by appointment in Portuguese, Spanish and English, Monday to Friday.
Signature wines: mouchao, mouchao-tonel-3-4, ponte-mouchao
Sogrape estate at Pedrogao in the Vidigueira sub-region, with 160 hectares of vineyard planted to Aragonez, Alicante Bouschet, Antao Vaz and Arinto.
Tasting: No public visitor programme is published for the estate; Sogrape lists its Portuguese wine tourism at Douro venues only.
Signature wines: Essencia do Peso, Sossego, Trinca Bolotas
Estate between Vidigueira and Cuba planted from 2000, with 70 hectares of vineyard, working clay talha fermentation alongside its Olho de Mocho range.
Tasting: Cellar door Tuesday to Saturday 11:00 to 18:00, Monday and Sunday by reservation, with talha and Olho de Mocho tastings, an amphora tour and pairing menus.
Signature wines: grande-rocim-tinto, olho-de-mocho-tinto, rocim-amphora-tinto, vinho-de-talha-tinto, bio-indigena-tinto
Arraiolos estate held by the Jose de Mello family since 1943, with 45 hectares of vines planted from 1998, a carriage museum, a restaurant and booked tastings.
Tasting: Daily booked visits pairing a vineyard and carriage museum tour with tastings of two to six wines, plus blending sessions, craft workshops and a restaurant for groups.
Signature wines: ravasqueira-vinha-das-romas-tinto, ravasqueira-vinha-das-romas-branco, ravasqueira-heritage, ravasqueira-reserva-da-familia, ravasqueira-selecao-do-ano
Vila de Frades estate on schist slopes near the Serra do Mendro, replanted from 2000, inaugurated 2006, farming 35 hectares of white and red vines.
Tasting: Tastings, restaurant and an art centre at the estate, designed around gravity fed rather than pumped winemaking.
Signature wines: Quinta do Quetzal Tinto, Quinta do Quetzal Antao Vaz
Vila de Frades talha specialist run by owner winemaker Alexandre Frade, fermenting natural wines and ageing them one to four years in clay amphorae.
Tasting: Tastings by appointment at the Vila de Frades tasting room, with programmes for small, medium and large groups.
Signature wines: millennial-branco, vale-palheiro-branco, 1856-branco, castas-antigas-branco, ermida-de-santa-clara-tinto
Boutique wine hotel and cellar on a Monforte estate dating to 1338 and reopened in 2014, farming 7 hectares of vines with marble lagares for foot treading.
Tasting: Boutique cellar with marble lagares, a barrel room and a tasting room, open daily, with a three wine tasting, blending workshop, pairing menus and a harvest programme.
Signature wines: torre-de-palma-reserva-tinto, torre-de-palma-musas-tinto, torre-de-palma-arinto-alvarinho, reserva-da-familia, torre-de-palma-alicante-bouschet-tinta-miuda
Siza Vieira's horizontal white cellar in Campo Maior pairs its architecture tour with a tasting room opening onto a lawn and marble-panelled terrace, plus wine workshops and picnic formats.
The Fundacao Eugenio de Almeida's 16th-century former Jesuit residence 2km from Evora's old town, where guided tours through the working cellars end with a tasting of red, white and rose plus olive oil.
A 744-hectare family estate in the Baixo Alentejo pairing guided tours of the vineyards and winery with single-vineyard and vertical tastings of the Marias and Monte da Peceguina ranges.
A hub for the Alentejo's talha amphora revival between Cuba and Vidigueira, with an auditorium, shop and terraces overlooking the vines built around husband-and-wife winemakers Pedro Ribeiro and Catarina Vieira.
A 70-hectare Baixo Alentejo estate 20km from Beja combining wine production with livestock and rural tourism, its winery visit running from vinification stages through to a seated tasting flight.
A fresh, citrus-driven white from the Reynolds family's Casa Branca estate, the everyday counterpart to Mouchao's cellar-worthy reds.
Tip: Serve well chilled; it is a simple, honest way to taste an estate better known for its century-old reds.
A crystalline, straw-coloured white blending three indigenous Alentejo grapes, with tropical fruit and mineral notes, at the same everyday price as its red sibling.
Tip: Serve at 10 to 12C with fish or white meat; it is a fair introduction to the Alentejo's under-rated white blends.