This is a coastal wine experience with a twist. Explore a living wine tradition in Colares, where vines grow in sand and Atlantic winds shape every bottle! It’s history, flavor and scenery… all rolled into one awesome day.
Departure at 2pm, with private pickup for about 1 hour till Sintra village, UNESCO World Heritage since 1995, unique wines and local sweets. From here we continue a few more minutes to Colares cooperative winery, starting the visit at the nearby vineyards. This is an opportunity to meet us and talk about this unique experience.
There are documents proving the existence of vineyards in this region in the 12th century (Afonso Henriques, first Portugal king). Historians attribute the introduction of the ‘Ramisco’ variety to king Afonso III (13th century), who supposedly brought it from northern France (Boulogne) where he lived for some time.
First stop will be in a nearby village to visit the ancient sand vineyards of Colares on sand soil where the vines, some with more than 100 years, grow on sand soils with roots on clay soil several meters down, spreading the bunches over the sand ground with a muscular Atlantic influence, on the westernmost tip of Continental Europe!
In 1865, phylloxera entered the northern part of the country and decimated much of the European vineyards. In Colares, the grape varieties installed in sandy soil resisted this plague, that feature brought a large expansion of viticulture in this region.
Till today, Colares maintains all the genetic originality of European Vitis and its native varieties, as they do not need to use the American Vitis rootstock to control the pest. “Our sand vines are not grafted, so they are all “pé-franco”.
Stop by the seaside village of Azenhas do Mar, known for its dramatic cliffs and oceanfront views. The name comes from the several Azenhas (water mills) located in the village.
Colares winery is a Cooperative, the oldest in Portugal created in 1931 and a Demarcated Region since 1908, second in the country to achieve this standard. However, there is a lot more details and process that make these wines so unique. To start, the uniqueness of the Ramisco (red) and Malvasia de Colares (white) grape variety, both rare and unique wines in the world but also the method of planting in sandy soils is unique in the world.
The visit at Colares cooperative winery it’s in a guided tour with the winemaker getting to know all history about these unique wines and the influence of the terroir, visiting the cellar ending by the shop for the tastings of a red Ramisco with more than 6 years aging in vats and oak reclaimed barrels and the white Malvasia de Colares with more than 1 year of aging in vats, with dry snacks.
After the visit and wine tasting, and on the way back to Lisbon, try the local Travesseiro pastry (a buttery, almond-filled sweet that’s a Sintra classic), accompanied with a coffee.
Drive back to Lisbon meeting point to drop off at 7pm.
