Explore the Torres Vedras wine region of Portugal
Discover more of the Lisboa wine region and vineyards near Lisbon and the spectacular Mafra National Palace
Torres Vedras, Lisboa wine region - Source: Winekeller
Travel just 30 minutes north of Lisbon, through the Lisboa wine region, bordering Portugal’s Atlantic coast and you enter the Torres Vedras DOC, where you can explore some amazing Portuguese wines, enjoy the epic surf and beaches of Portugal’s Silver Coast, play one of the best golf courses in Portugal and visit one of Portugal’s most spectacular and historic sites - the National Palace of Mafra.
Read on to learn more…
The central Lisboa wine region
Portugal’s Lisboa wine region is made up of nine sub regions and D.O. Torres Vedras is located in the central area, close to D.O. Alenquer, D.O. Arruda, D.O. Lourinhã and D.O. Óbidos.
The Lisboa wine region, north and west of Lisbon, is a land of rolling hills, known for the sandy beaches and Atlantic surf of Portugal’s Silver coast.
However it’s also an incredibly rich region in terms of historic, royal palaces and places of significant cultural interest to visit.
Read more about D.O. Lourinhã and D.O. Óbidos and Portugal’s Silver Coast here.
(Lisboa wine region: Source - Vinhos de Lisboa)
D.O. Torres Vedras
Torres Vedras sits between the mountains and the Atlantic ‘Silver’ coast and the municipality covers an area of just over 400 square kilometres, with 20 kilometres of coastline. There is much to enjoy here including the stunning natural beauty of the region - both the countryside and a magnificent coastline - as well as a rich cultural heritage.
The wine region of Torres Vedras comprises some 6,000 hectares of vineyards and over 30 wine producers. It is a predominantly agricultural region and the cultivation of vines has been key here since Roman times.
D.O. Torres Vedras is one of the cooler sub-regions of the Lisboa wine region, where being on the seaward side of the Serra de Montejunto mountains, the sea breezes have a strong influence on the climate and keep the region’s famous hill-top windmills turning. Here you can find light, fresh, dry, white wines, including a low-alcohol white wine known as ‘Vinho Leve’ and some lighter red wines.
The vineyards and the wine here form an integral part of a diverse range of wine tourism options for visitors to enjoy, including farms, wineries and restaurants. The Torres Vedras Wine Tourism Route is an invaluable guide to exploring the wines, the traditions and the history of this beautiful part of the Lisboa wine region.
Explore more here about Torres Vedras wine and gastronomy, including the local delicacy, the Pastel de Feijão de Torres Vedras ‘bean cake’.
We can recommend visiting three different Torres Vedras wineries:
Discover AdegaMãe Atlantic wines
The beautiful AdegaMãe vineyards, Torres Vedras - Source: Winekeller
Built by the Alves family, founders of the Riberalves Group, AdegaMãe in Torres Vedras was conceived both as a tribute to the matriarch, Manuela Alves and the fulfillment of a dream to celebrate the region’s cultural heritage.
AdegaMãe stands just a stone’s throw from the coast and its wines are very much inspired by the Atlantic, fresh and mineral as well as gastronomic.
AdegaMãe is also admired for its distinctive and contemporary architecture, the low, grey building lying in the hills overlooking the vineyards, that is very much designed around the optimum visitor experience.
Enjoy an AdegaMãe wine tasting and tour
AdegaMãe offers a wine range of wine tastings and the opportunity to discover the impressive winery and wine cellars, as well as to enjoy the incredible view from the tasting room and balcony.
Dine at the ‘Sal na Adega’ restaurant
There is also the opportunity to pair the amazing AdegaMãe Atlantic wines with superb, local Portuguese gastronomy, in the wonderful ‘Sal na Adega’ restaurant. The star here is the local ‘codfish’ dish, but there are many other fine examples of Portuguese gastronomy from both land and sea to enjoy. Codfish is a national dish of Portugal - a salted and dried fish which requires 3-4 days of soaking to ‘bring the fish back to life’.
We had a superb lunch here and the codfish was simply amazing, especially paired with the delicious wines.
AdegaMãe is one of the region’s and indeed one of the country’s top wine tourism destinations, so make sure it’s on your itinerary whilst exploring Torres Vedras!
Visit to Quinta de Sant’Ana winery
The beautiful and romantic Quinta de Sant’Ana farm is nestled in rolling vineyards between the Atlantic and Lisbon in the Torres Vedras region, bordering land which was formerly the hunting ground of the Portuguese royal family (the ‘Tapada de Mafra’).
The quinta dates back to 1633 and over the years has been occupied by many different owners. Today it is owned by James and Ann Frost from Germany, who have run the farm for the past 30 years, taking over from Ann’s parents and raising their family of 7 boys here.
The estate is fully organic and the family produces a broad range of different varietal wines and wine blends - totalling some 35,000 bottles per year. Of particular note is the Riesling wine - a German grape planted by the family - which is popular amongst the more traditional Portuguese grape varieties.
In addition to making wine, the family hosts events at the farm and offers a range of accommodation on the estate.
Visit Quinta de Sant’Ana
The family runs a range of different wine tastings and tours at the quinta and we can highly recommend a visit for a very unique and totally authentic Portuguese wine tourism experience. We loved our tasting in the vineyard, followed by a tasting in the cellar, with delicious wines, accompanied by some excellent local sausage and cheeses.
You can easily combine a visit to Quinta de Sant’Ana with the close-by Mafra National Palace (see below).
Quinta da Boa Esperança
Inland from AdegaMãe, the other side of Torres Vedras, lies Quinta da Boa Esperança, a farm and winery built around the principle of sustainability.
Here you can enjoy a special and authentic experience, with a wide range of wine tourism offerings - perhaps a tour and wine tasting, or a picnic in the vineyards or lunch or dinner in the restaurant. We enjoyed an excellent lunch at Quinta da Boa Esperança, with local, transitional dishes based on produce from the delightful kitchen garden, paired with some excellent wines.
Exploring Torres Vedras
Getting to Torres Vedras
If you are travelling by public transport, you can reach Torres Vedras by train - take the ‘’Oeste Line’’ from Lisbon to Caldas da Rainha or Coimbra and leave at the Torres Vedras station.
By car, head north from Lisbon and you can reach Torres Vedras off the A8 ‘Oeste’ motorway. Torres Vedras to Lisbon is about 40 kilometres away.
Where to stay in Torres Vedras
Choose from accommodation on the coast or inland and from a hotel, an apartment or a manor house and everything in between! See here for where to stay in Torres Vedras.
What is Torres Vedras known for?
In addition to its Lisboa wine, Torres Vedras is known for its fabulous coastline and beaches, its beautiful rolling hills and landscapes, golf, health and wellness, its significant cultural heritage and its annual carnival.
The rolling hills of Torres Vedras - Source: Winekeller
Where to eat in Torres Vedras
Please see here some suggestions for dining out in Torres Vedras.
We can also recommend a fabulous restaurant in a park in the centre of Torres Vedras called ‘Roots’, where you can enjoy excellent local, traditional dishes paired with a superb choice of wines.
The Torres Vedras coastline
Lying on Portugal’s Silver Coast, many visit Torres Vedras for its spectacular 20 kilometres of coastline, with its fine golden sand beaches, especially popular Porto Nova beach and Santa Cruz central beach. There are also two sand dune beaches - Azul Beach and Santa Rita Beach.
Sport, health and wellness
Golf is synonymous with Portugal and some of the best golf courses in Portugal are to be found on Portugal’s Silver Coast. Torres Vedras is no exception. Here, golf enthusiasts can play the spectacular Dolce CampoReal Lisboa 18-hole golf course - rated in the top 100 European golf courses and designed by architect Donald Steel. Adding to the experience there are 3 restaurants, 2 bars, 2 outdoor swimming pools, 2 tennis courts, a gym and a spa, all set in the beautiful protected landscape of the Socorro and Archeira Mountains in Torres Vedras, just 30 minutes drive from Lisbon.
In addition to the wonderful beaches of Terras Vedras, you can also enjoy the hot spring spas of Cucos and Vimeiro, much sought after for the therapeutic qualities of their waters.
Torres Vedras cultural heritage
There is no shortage of cultural attractions to discover in Torres Vedras - the most significant being the ‘Lines of Torres Vedras’. This is a series of military fortifications which prevented Napoleon and the French troops from advancing on Lisbon in the 19th century. Learn more about the historic route of the Lines of Torres here.
Torres Vedras Carnival
A great time to visit Torres Vedras is at the end of February/early March - the time of the Torres Vedras Carnival, one of the most famous and most authentic in Portugal, with colourfully decorated carnival floats, giant carnival figures and carnival music.
What to see and do in the area
Visit Mafra National Palace
The spectacular Mafra National Palace - Source: Winekeller
South-west of the town of Torres Vedras and a short drive inland from the coastal resort of Ericeira is the town of Mafra, which is dominated by the imposing Baroque Mafra National Palace - an important symbol of national power.
It is the largest building in the whole of Portugal and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, comprising a 666-room royal palace, basilica, a convent for 300 friars and a hunting lodge.
What is the story of the Palace of Mafra?
Built by the King, Dom João V and inaugurated in 1730, no money was spared to create this huge palace, intended as an alternative to the busy summer palace at nearby Sintra. Both Mafra and Sintra were leisure homes for the Portuguese royal family - the last royal dynasty lasting from 1640-1910, when the monarchy ended.
Dom João V had originally promised the Franciscan friars a convent, if his prayers for an heir to the throne were answered. So, on the occasion of the birth of his daughter Dona Maria Pia, the building of the convent began, but the plans quickly extended to a much more grandiose palace. It was built in record time, involving more than 50,000 workers.
The reign of Dom João V was a prosperous one, where Portugal acquired much knowledge, culture, art and theatre and this is very much on display in the Mafra National Palace.
What is Mafra known for?
Apart from the sheer size and scale of this palace (the site covers more than 1200 hectares), what impresses is the stunning marble work and the beautiful tapestries - Portugal was a country of travellers which explains why there are more tapestries than paintings.
There are two separate houses in the palace, one for the king and one for the queen and both are separated by a 232 metre long corridor.
Mafra is also known for its impressive library - one of the largest European libraries of the 18th century, containing approximately 30,000 volumes around predominantly religious themes, but also including medicine, pharmacy, history, geography, literature, philosophy, architecture and art, law, and more. There are several rarities here too, for example the first Latin translation of the Quran (1543) and a polyglot Bible in seven languages (1514). The Mafra Palace Library has a unique environmental condition, with the books and wooden shelves being protected from pests and insects by at least two resident bat colonies.
We can reall recommend visiting Mafra National Palace and you’ll find smaller queues here than at nearby Sintra!
Visit the seaside resort of Ericeira
Close to Mafra, on the coast and just a 35 minutes drive from Lisbon, is the traditional fishing village of Ericeira, a very popular holiday resort.
What is Ericeira known for?
Ericeira is known for its great surf - in fact it’s actually a ‘World Surfing Reserve’ (the first in Europe) and many are attracted here, not just by the waves, but also for the relaxed vibes and slower pace of life, compared to some of the other more touristy beaches closer to Lisbon.
The seafood here is superb, as you would expect and the resort’s traditional white-washed buildings and cobbled streets help give Ericeira an irresistible charm, especially combined with the surf and beautiful beaches.
We can highly recommend the destination hotel, Immerso in Ericeira, a delightful boutique hotel offering incredible views over the Atlantic coast. The focus here is on slowing down, relaxation and health and wellness - what more could you ask for??
Conclusion
Just 30 minutes away from Lisbon and you find yourself in the heart of the Torres Vedras vineyards, with beautiful beaches and lots of cultural and historic sites to visit. We loved the wines and were really impressed by Mafra!
