Herdade dos Grous | Crane’ s eye view
The restaurant is open to non-residents throughout the year. However, two pieces of advice: it’ s always a good idea to book in advance and the other, be aware that their portions are of the most generous nature, superb Alentejo cuisine served in the most delightful of settings.
Naturally the wine list offers some of the finest the region produces. The soils of the estate are extremely rich in calcium and added to the sand and magnesium the grapes produce such a unique flavour.
All the wines are matured in large oak barrels stored in clinically clean cellars. Many of the wines produced on the estate have won several international awards. Portugal has undergone something of a wine revolution in the past couple of decades, however I was told their Moon Harvested variety is something quite revolutionary to the country.
This really has to be one of the most interesting wines out of the thousands that are produced by the estate. The grapes are picked in the middle of the night, based on the cycle of the moon – two years ago, it was discovered the optimum time would be 3.00am on the 26th of September!
I think it is miracle that anything grows at all in the Alentejo region, perhaps best described as a dustbowl with its hard-baked red earth and unrelenting heat – it couldn’ t be further away from the lush green Vila Vita development 60 miles away on the Algarve.
How can I summarize my visit to Herdade dos Grous? First of all, it is in a fabulous location, it is pure Alentejo close to the historic city of Beja, which has to be explored whilst in the area. The place offers unique accommodation, there is so much attention to detail everywhere. I loved the way in which there are bicycles freely available for you to cycle to different areas of the estate.
My visit was really an unforgettable experience. The tour of the winery, which has to be one of the most efficient I have seen and no visit is complete until you have toured the area either on foot or by tractor, with nearly 2000 acres of vines to visit, too far to cycle!
50 | Summer 2012 | www. portugal-life. net |