Spending some wintertime in Portugal is always a good idea. Even when the Portuguese say that it’s bad weather, for us living up north, it still feels like spring. On one of the last days of December 2019 we left sunny Algarve and drove up the IC27 to Arraiolos, Alentejo. Actually, we never drove up this way and were amazed by the empty street, the calmness and beauty of the Natural Park of Guadiana. This route is a great alternative to the highway A2 and you save a lot of money on highway tolls.

Herdade do Esporão is a very impressive property. You drive through the vineyards until arriving to the reception of the wine tourism and the restaurant. Our guide gave us an introduction about the history of Esporão and then we visited the wine production and the cellars. Afterwards we had the chance to taste three wines and their olive oils with a very tasty bread. We enjoyed the experience but it would have been great to have a bit more time to taste more than three wines.