Today, wine took center stage.
Breakfast was a reheated repeat from yesterday, eaten fast so we could catch the train to Evora. About a ninety-minute ride from Lisbon into the heart of Portugal’s Alentejo wine country, it was the perfect choice for a last-minute winery day trip.
Scheduling was tricky thanks to the holidays, but in the end everything fell into place.
Our first stop was Aromas do Sul, a regional producer that sources grapes from local Alentejo vineyards like Herdade da Moita and Quinta do Caldeireiro. They lean into traditional Alentejo varieties like Aragonez, Trincadeira, and Arinto, and their wines tend to be fruity with good structure. The winery itself is closed for the season but the tasting room is located just outside of Evora in the industrial area.
At Aromas du Sul, Catarina walked us through the winery’s story and the broader grape traditions of the Evora subregion of Alentejo, where rich soil and hot, dry summers shape creamy, full-bodied reds.
The tasting was supposed to be ten wines. It became eleven because she’s generous. The food spread was simple and perfect: fresh bread, local olive oil, medronho jelly, and crackers finished with oregano and oil. By the time we left we had fourteen bottles, olive oil, and jam in hand. That should tell you how good it was.
Ubers are everywhere in the city, so we hopped into one and headed to Fitapreta Vinhos, about ten kilometers outside Evora.
Lunch was sandwiches from home, eaten on benches outside the tasting room with a gray sky view of the vines. Fitapreta’s story is better than most. Winemaker Antonio Macanita, who trained internationally and has a reputation as one of Portugal’s more innovative viticulturalists, founded the project in 2004 with a British partner. Over the years he turned it into something worthy of tasting.
Their estate sits in and around the 14th-century Paco do Morgado de Oliveira, an ancient palace that’s being restored piece by piece, blending medieval charm with modern winemaking facilities.
The setting is incredible. The tasting room itself overlooks vineyards that stretch across gentle hills. They make everything from traditional reds to experimental whites and amphora-style wines that speak to both old and new ways of making wine.
We did a five-wine tasting that gave a good sense of what they’re about. The wines were thoughtful and well made, but since our favorite was at about 86 euros a bottle it wasn’t worth hauling any home this trip, even if it felt right in the moment.
Post-tasting, we wandered around Evora proper. The historic center itself is a UNESCO World Heritage Site full of ancient walls, Roman ruins, and alleyways that feel like they’re older than entire neighborhoods back home.
We made it back to the train station with time to spare — enough time for one more glass — only for the train to stall for nearly two hours for no obvious reason.
So dinner was the same soup from the night before. Not flashy, but exactly what we needed after a day like that.