Travel&Vacation

Escapes Under $500

Imagine nibbling on succulent ham from prized black pigs and country bread soup made with ingredients right from the farm. Imagine sipping a full-bodied, fruity red wine with velvety tannins made complex by schistous soil. Now imagine paying less than $20 for everything. Add accommodations, and you can escape for a few days for well under $500. That’s the luxury you can afford just about anywhere in Portugal’s Alentejo countryside. And if you go, you’ll be one of the first to taste it all.

The wines

The closest most tourists and wine critics have come to Alentejo’s wines are to northern Portugal for famous Port or to the Rioja vineyards in nearby Spain. However, things are starting to change, as more winemakers realize this special region has the perfect climate for the wines a new generation of drinkers wants right now. According to Hans Jorgensen, founder and owner of Cortes de Cima winery in Vidigueira, “This is what the Alentejo stands for, young, fruity wines that are easy to drink.” Born in Denmark, Hans was ahead of the curve and started his vineyard in 1988.

Touriga Nacional, the Portuguese national grape, along with two other regional reds called Trincadeira and Aragonés, are grown the most in the Alentejo. Although white wines are gaining a foothold in the region, the reds are what justify the visit.

Other than how well they tend to pair with delicious, fatty cheeses, the best part about these wines is how shockingly affordable they are. For a basic introduction, the wines of the Adega Cooperativa de Borba (this website is in Portuguese only) in the town of Borba are a steal. The winery is a cooperative, producing wines made from the grapes of 320 regional producers. Prices range from just €1.60 (about $2.15; see XE.com for current exchange rates) for table wines to just over €5 for more refined bottles. My favorite was the Touriga Nacional & Syrah (2005). Public tours are free by appointment, and tastings are available in the wine shop.

Set on a cheerful estate with traditional Alentejo white and yellow buildings, João Portugal Ramos Vinhos (in Portuguese only) near Estremoz kicks things up a notch. Here I tasted a pleasant everyday wine, Marquês de Borba (2005), for around €5 (I found it at Whole Foods in the States for $11.99), and Villa Santa (2005), a nice blend of Aragonês and Trincadeira, for around €11. Winery tours are free to the public but tastings cost €5.

Of all the wineries I visited, Herdade do Esporão in Reguengos de Monsaraz comes the closest to something you’d experience in Napa. It’s a grand estate with fancy tasting rooms, trendy wine bars, and facilities for food pairings and parties. The wines themselves merit such extravagance, especially the single varietals for about €11 each, and Esporão Reserva (2004), a combo of all three major grapes, which I found to be a rare value for just under €17.

At the high end of the spectrum, the family-run Cortes de Cima could rival wineries in any other country. Not only are all eight varieties of red a cut above most, but also the winery is one of “firsts.” The tour, which is free to anyone who shows up, felt more like descending into the inner workings of a science lab, with barrel experiments in the cellar and gas-filled hoses poking through steel fermentation tanks, all with the goal of making better wines. Additionally, Hans was the first winemaker to attempt growing Syrah grapes in the region, but had to do so on the sly because the variety was illegal. As a result, he came up with “Incógnito,” labeled simply as “red wine” on the front but with a coded message on the back revealing its true origin. Most of his wines are a bit up-market, costing between €19 and €55 per bottle, but are well worth the money. He also makes a killer, award-winning olive oil, with a spicy flavor that wakes up the back of your throat and is unlike anything else in the Mediterranean.