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Quinta Nova de Nossa Senhora do Carmo

ABOVE: Visitors pick grapes in the Quinta Nova's vineyards.

Vineyards and winery

Quinta Nova has been growing grapes since 1758, but the vineyards and winery have come into their own since the Antorim family invested in modern winemaking facilities in 2005. At last report, the estate produced eight table wines and three Port wines, which are available in the wine bar of the hotel or in Quinta Nova's Wine and Gourmet Shop. (The latter is open daily from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and again from 3 to 5:30 p.m.)

The winery is a blend of old and new. Traditional lagares, or open-topped granite tanks, are used for treading grapes the old-fashioned way. The winery also has an impressive crushing machine that simulates foot-treading with robotic, silicone-shod "feet" in an open stainless-steel tank.

Quinta Nova wine bottles Free wine tours are offered from Tuesday through Sunday at 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.The tour includes the vineyards and underground cellars, followed by a chance to purchase wines for take-away.

If you're ambitious, you can join a 12-km walking tour of the winery, olive-oil cellar, vineyards, chapel, and schist orchards. (The free walking tour is available from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., although I'd suggest calling or e-mailing ahead to request a guide.)

During the wine harvest (usually in September), Quinta Nova offers a variety of "harvest programmes" such as grape-picking, grape treading, tasting of new wine from the casks, etc. For details and reservations, call +351 254 730 430 or e-mail [email protected].

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