Évora travel guide for food lovers

If while in Lisbon you crave a slower and quieter kind of day, we would recommend heading to Évora. This city in the Alentejo region is located just 130km east of the capital and it offers a very different experience, particularly appealing for those into gastronomy, wines, culture and history. Since 1986, Évora has had UNESCO World Heritage status.

Feat photo by Visit Alentejo

Photo by Câmara Municipal de Évora

Évora can technically be visited as a day trip if you leave early in the morning but, if you have the time for it, it’d be even better experienced over a weekend or a couple of days. That gives you time not only to visit Évora itself but also to make some great stops along the way. Montemor-o-Novo, with its castle ruins and panoramic views, makes for a good morning detour. Arraiolos, further along, is a small town known for its ancient tradition of handwoven carpets and delivering great regional cuisine too. Both places are good representations of Alentejo’s rural character and are worth including in your plans if you’re driving.

If you don’t feel like driving, you’d be happy to know that Évora is relatively straightforward to get to using public transportation too. Trains from Lisbon’s Entrecampos or Oriente stations take around 90 minutes, and buses from Sete Rios offer similar travel times – check FlixBus or Rede Espressos for schedules and prices. These are good options if you plan to stay within the city center. But for those interested in stopping along the way or visiting sites just outside Évora, renting a car is a much better option. It gives you access to places that are difficult to reach by public transportation, such as the Cromeleque dos Almendres, a megalithic site located in the countryside, or even local wineries that don’t operate on rigid bus schedules (see our suggestions below).

Photo by Câmara Municipal de Évora

Once you arrive in Évora, the historical centre is very easy to explore on foot. A good starting point is Praça do Giraldo, the city’s main square and social hub since the 16th century. It features a baroque marble fountain, arcaded buildings, outdoor cafés, and the church of Santo Antão. From there, you can walk up Rua 5 de Outubro to reach Sé Catedral de Évora (Largo do Marquês de Marialva), a massive granite cathedral dating back to the 12th century. The interior is relatively austere, but the rooftop terraces are open to visitors and offer amazing views over the city and surrounding countryside. 

Photo by Viktor Levit via Pixabay

Just a short walk away is the Roman Temple (Largo do Conde de Vila Flor), commonly referred to as the Temple of Diana, although there’s no actual evidence that it was dedicated to that particular goddess. It was likely constructed in the first century CE and is one of the best preserved Roman structures on the Iberian Peninsula. It stands next to the Museu Nacional Frei Manuel do Cenáculo, which offers a compact but valuable collection of Roman artifacts, medieval religious art, and regional Alentejano paintings.

From there, you can loop back toward the city center and head to the Câmara Municipal building (Praça do Sertório). On the ground floor, you’ll find the remains of Évora’s Roman Baths, discovered in 1987, where the main highlight is a circular laconicum (sweat room).

Photo by Alonso de Mendoza via Wikipedia

A few minutes south is one of the city’s most famous, and some would even say unsettling, landmarks, the Capela dos Ossos (Praça 1º de Maio 4). Located within the Igreja de São Francisco, built in the 17th century by Franciscan monks, the chapel is lined with thousands of human bones and skulls, sourced from overcrowded cemeteries. The entrance bears an inscription that reads: “Nós ossos que aqui estamos, pelos vossos esperamos.”, meaning “We bones that are here, await yours.”

For something different, follow the path of the Aqueduto da Água de Prata, an aqueduct from the 16th century designed to bring water into the city. As the arches enter the urban area, homes and small businesses have been built directly into the structure. The most picturesque segment runs along Rua do Cano, while the taller arches can be seen near Porta da Lagoa, just outside the center.

If you want to take a short break from the historic core, head to the Universidade de Évora, specifically the Colégio do Espírito Santo (Largo dos Colegiais 2), founded in the 16th century. The building serves both as a working university and as a historical site, with cloistered courtyards, tiled corridors, and baroque architectural details.

Photo by João Fructuosa via Pixabay

If you’re traveling by car, plan to leave the city around golden hour and head for the Cromeleque dos Almendres (Vila de Nossa Senhora de Guadalupe), a megalithic stone circle believed to predate Stonehenge! This site consists of nearly 100 granite monoliths arranged in concentric circles and aligned with the solstices, serving as evidence of early astronomical observation in the region. Just a short drive away there is also the Anta Grande do Zambujeiro (Herdade da Mitra, Valverde), one of the largest dolmens in the Iberian Peninsula.

Photo by Da Cunha Miguel via Pixabay

When it comes to food, Alentejo is often referred to as “the breadbasket of Portugal”, and not just because of its wheat production. Bread for sure plays a central role in the region’s cuisine, so much so that many of the local dishes are built around pão alentejano, a dense loaf with a thick crust and chewy interior. Rather than letting leftover bread go to waste, locals developed recipes like açorda, where slices of dry bread are soaked in a garlic and coriander broth made with olive oil and finished with a poached egg or cod. Another example is migas, a dish in which leftover bread is broken into crumbs and fried with fat (often pork lard, but not necessarily), then served as a side with grilled meats. This approach to cooking is connected with the rural lifestyle times of scarcity.

Photo by Anne and Saturnino Miranda via Pixabay

Pork is central to the diet, especially cuts from porco preto, the Iberian black pig that usually roams freely in oak forests feeding on acorns between the Fall and Springtime. This breed is valued for the marbling in the meat, and in the Alentejo it appears in dishes like thin and fatty cuts like secretos or plumas, and stews made with offal. Sheep and lamb are also common, especially in spring, and appear in slowly cooked dishes such as ensopado de borrego, which consists of a saucy lamb stew served atop slices of bread. Fish, despite Évora’s inland location, is also part of the culinary repertoire, most notably sopa de cação, a soup made with dogfish marinated in vinegar and garlic, then cooked in a coriander infused broth. If you can’t make it to Évora this time around, make sure you at least visit some of the best Alentejo restaurants in Lisbon to sample this incredible regional cuisine, which some firmly defend is the best in Portugal.

Photo by Restaurante Fialho via TripAdvisor

Sweets in Évora, as in many parts of Portugal, are influenced by the region’s convent heritage. Many of the city’s signature desserts originated in monastic kitchens, where large quantities of egg yolks were used, usually because the whites were needed for clarifying wines or starching clothes. Recipes were passed down for generations and remain mostly the same. Some of the most well known examples in Évora include pão-de-rala, a dense cake made with almonds, egg yolks, and sugar, often shaped to resemble bread loaves; encharcada, an egg yolk dessert drenched in sugar syrup; and queijadas de Évora, which are small cakes made from fresh cheese, eggs, and sugar. These sweets are typically found in pastelarias across the city (please see our suggestion below).

Photo by João Fructuosa via Pixabay

The Alentejo is also one of the most productive and better known wine regions in Portugal, and Évora is surrounded by vineyards. The area is best known for its red wines, which tend to be full bodied and made from local grape varieties such as Aragonez, Trincadeira, and Alicante Bouschet. These wines are a perfect pairing with the region’s heavy meat dishes. The white wines, made from Antão Vaz, Arinto, and Roupeiro, are often fresh and mineral but can also be round and aromatic depending on the producer and the winemaking style. A unique feature of this region is the production of vinho de talha, which is wine fermented and aged in large clay amphorae known as talhas. This technique dates back to Roman times and is still practiced today, particularly in the nearby towns of Vila de Frades and Reguengos de Monsaraz. You can certainly enjoy bottles of local wine in the many restaurants in Évora, and even purchase them to take home in some specialty shops and even regular supermarkets. But we think that visiting a vineyard can be a great idea, as this gives more context on traditional production methods and the importance of wine in the local economy. Many wineries (like the ones we highlight below) offer tastings and guided visits but this is the kind of activity that you’d best enjoy with access to a car (and a designated driver!) or, at least, with no budget constraints to hire a taxi to get you around.

The best Portuguese restaurants in Evora

Fialho

Fialho is one of the most respected restaurants in Évora and it indeed does a great job at materializing the culinary heritage of the region. Open since 1945, this restaurant is visited by locals and foreigners that want to take Alentejo cooking seriously. The menu is dedicated to the regional classics, including things like braised cheeks of porco preto, partridge cooked with wine and garlic, and wild boar loin with applesauce. Many of these recipes were preserved by Manuel Fialho himself, who was the founder and one of the most vocal guardians of the region’s gastronomic traditions. The dessert list features mostly conventual sweets, with options like queijadas and encharcada. Having welcomed several generations with generous Alentejo style hospitality, Fialho is a good reminder that Alentejo’s food is worth slowing down for.

📍Tv. das Mascarenhas 16, 7000-557 Évora
www.instagram.com/restaurantefialho

 Photo by Walter N via TripAdvisor

Taberna Típica Quarta-feira

If you ask around in Évora for a place that locals truly like, chances are Taberna Típica Quarta-feira will come up. It’s not the easiest place to get into, because it’s only open a few days a week and also because it tends to be full most of the time. Also, there’s no menu here. You sit down and trust the kitchen. Dishes arrive one after another, often in very generous Alentejo style portions. Expect to be served regional dishes like tomato soup with poached egg (sopa de tomate com ovo escalfado), marinated pork with migas, or flaky salt cod. Each meal is a little different, depending on what’s available and what the chef, usually Senhor Domingos, who’s been running the place since 1981, feels like cooking that day. If you don’t have local friends who’d prepare Alentejo dishes for you at home, this is your best bet to taste what the regional food appeared home-style would be like.

📍Rua do Inverno 16, 7000-599 Évora
www.instagram.com/taberna_tipica_quarta_feira

 Photo by Taberna Típica Quarta-feira via Facebook

Botequim da Mouraria

Botequim da Mouraria is a tiny tasca in the Mouraria area of Évora’s. Because there are just ten seats at the counter and their food is great, it’s not uncommon to see a queue outside before lunch service begins. Keep in mind that this restaurant is only open on weekdays and only for a few hours, so if you’re planning to come here, make sure you arrive some time in advance. There’s also no printed menu, just a list of dishes announced as they’re ready, often written on a small chalkboard or simply described to you on the spot. The dishes served are unpretentious but packed with flavor. Expect Portuguese petiscos like quail eggs with sea salt, roasted peppers, green bean tempura (peixinhos da horta), or various preparations with pork and cured sausages. Despite its size, Botequim da Mouraria offers one the most authentic lunch experiences in town.

📍Rua da Mouraria 16A, 7000-585 Évora
www.instagram.com/botequimdamouraria

 Photo by Câmara Municipal de Évora

Dom Joaquim

We wouldn’t say Dom Joaquim is trendy, but it definitely offers a somewhat refined culinary experience in Évora, including polished service and white tablecloths that set an elegant tone. The menu, though, relies on Alentejo’s greatest hits, with some small refinements here and there to elevate the classic recipes, without letting go of their original identity. Their açorda de bacalhau, the quintessential Alentejo soup with coriander and garlic broth served over thick slices of rustic bread, is rich but not overly heavy, completed with a nice piece of flaky poached cod. Their grilled black pork is simply served with  crispy potatoes and seasonal greens, allowing the quality of the meat to speak for itself. And then there are dishes like ensopado de borrego, an intense lamb stew served over slices of bread and with just a hint of mint to help balance the fatiness of the meat with some freshness. Desserts range from convent classics like sericaia (a fluffy baked egg custard topped with cinnamon, traditionally served with preserved plums in syrup, from nearby Elvas) to more modern options. But, while in Alentejo, we would definitely recommend sticking to what’s local, as some of these sweet recipes are so regional that you may not even find them elsewhere in Portugal.

📍Rua dos Penedos 6, 7000-537 Évora
www.instagram.com/domjoaquimrestaurante

 Photo by Visitevora.net

Origens

If you want to understand Alentejo’s food from a seasonal perspective, Origens is a great place to do so. This is an establishment where local ingredients truly get to shine, through thoughtful preparation, complemented with warm hospitality. The kitchen at Origens revisits regional dishes with a modern approach. You might find açorda reinterpreted with more refined texture, or carne de porco alentejana rebalanced to let the clams shine as much as the pork. Portions are generous without being overwhelming, and the ingredients are sourced with a clear priority on quality and origin, thus explaining the name of the establishment. One of the highlights is the seasonal tasting menu, where the chef curates a series of smaller plates that tell a story of the region through surprising pairings. Even the wine list mirrors this intent, with a curated selection of Alentejo producers, including lesser known names. Origens is also one of the best restaurants in Évora for vegetarians and vegans.

📍Rua de Avis 66, 7000-645 Évora
https://origensrestaurante.com

Photo by Origens

Cavalariça Évora

Occupying the former stables of the Palácio do Salvador, the space of Cavalariça Évora mixes lots of history with some touches of modernity. As a part of a growing wave of contemporary Alentejo restaurants, it manages to stay grounded in regional products while embracing  more global techniques in terms of cooking and even plating. The menu is structured around sharing plates, mostly with local ingredients but without shying away from some more unexpected elements. Depending on the season, you might find dishes like Iberian pork loin with smoked peppers “mole”, duck with fava beans purée and orange jus, or mushroom and green bean migas with marinated egg yolk, confit mushrooms and seaweed. Overall, we’d say that this a good spot even for those who don’t usually gravitate toward heavier Alentejo fare. This means that this isn’t the kind of place you’d visit to eat like a local grandmother might cook. But it is very much in tune with what younger Portuguese chefs are doing across the country, and that is revisiting regional identity through a new lens. Cavalariça also has another address in Comporta, closer to Lisbon.

📍Palácio dos Duques de Cadaval, Rua Augusto Filipe Simões, 7000-845 Évora
www.cavalarica.com

 Photo by Cavalariça

O Templo

It’s easy to walk right past O Templo, especially if you’re distracted by the Roman ruins nearby, but that would be a mistake. This small and unassuming restaurant, tucked into a side street near Évora’s historic centre, is the kind of place which we absolutely adore because of its simplicity, genuine hospitality, and incredible regional food. The menu changes slightly depending on the season and whatever may be available, but the focus remains firmly on Alentejo staples. Expect things like migas com carne de porco, açorda de camarão, and well grilled cuts of porco preto, all prepared in a straightforward and generous style. Eating at O Templo is like eating at home, in the best possible way. O Templo is often fully booked, so make sure to plan your visit well in advance. You’ll be well fed and will wish to return soon.

📍Rua do Escrivão da Câmara 2B, 7005-524 Évora
www.instagram.com/explore/locations/310928376289953/restaurante-o-templo

 Photo by O Templo via TripAdvisor

Tua Madre

Not only the food, but especially the philosophy of this restaurant, makes it stand out in Évora’s dining scene. Tua Madre was founded by Italian chef Francesco Ogliari and his Évora born partner Marisa Tiago. Together, via this restaurant, they share a commitment to regenerative and organic agriculture, working closely with local small scale producers to craft a menu that changes according to the availability of ingredients. Francesco brings his Italian training and sensitivity, but the result is unmistakably Portuguese, fed by the flavours and cycles of surrounded fields. Think pastas or rice dishes built around what’s ripe and sometimes unexpected in the region. Diners may find gently unorthodox combinations like torchietti with lamb ragù, and purslane or agnolotti stuffed with goat cheese, chard, and fermented butter. At Tua Madre, rusticity and elegance are brought together beautifully and deliciously and that is reflected even in their wine list, curated by Marisa herself, who’s put together natural and biodynamic labels both from the Alentejo and Italy, serves here with plenty of context.

📍Alcarcova de Baixo 55, 7000-841 Évora
www.tuamadrerestaurante.com

 Photo by Tua Madre

Tábua do Naldo

For travelers chasing the feeling of eating where locals eat, Tábua do Naldo is about as authentic as it’s bound to get in Évora. This informal spot is located inside the municipal market (already a good sign in and of itself), and it has a loyal following amongst locals because of its generous servings of regional food served at fair prices. With plastic chairs, loud conversation, and a menu that changes daily and is announced handwritten on a blackboard, you can tell this place wasn’t created with tourists in mind. Their food is rustic, filling, and honestly very tasty. You’ll find things like thin slices of marinated pork liver with fries (iscas de porco com batatas fritas), or ensopado de borrego swimming in a garlicky and paprika rich broth. Sopa de cação, a typical recipe that is somewhere between a soup and a stew, with poached dogfish, is often on offer too, even though elsewhere it may be more common during winter months. There’s also a decent selection of cured meats, cheeses, and house wines by the glass or jug, keeping everything no frills and extremely Alentejano.

📍Mercado Municipal de Évora (Banca 19), Av. Sanches de Miranda 1, 7005-284 Évora
www.instagram.com/tabuadonaldo

 Photo by Mara via TripAdvisor

Café Alentejo

Café Alentejo is housed in what used to be the old Palácio dos Sepúlveda, and you can still feel the bones of the noble residence in its high ceilings, arched doorways, and cool stone walls. But don’t let the architecture fool you, as this is one of Évora’s most approachable restaurants, with a kitchen that sure knows how to prepare comfort food, the type that best defines Alentejo’s culinary DNA. This is where locals go for classics like pork ribs with savory bread pudding (migas com entrecosto), rabbit stew with spicy sauce (coelho com molho vilão), or oven baked salt cod with sauteed turnip greens (pictured here). We recommend leaving some room for desserts, as they have great regional options that go beyond the usual sericaia or echarcada. Here, you could also try their award-winning Serpa cheese pudding with orange sauce (pudim de queijo de Serpa com molho de laranja), or the torrão real de Évora, a conventual sweet with almonds and egg yolks, with a dense texture that resembles marzipan.

📍Rua do Raimundo 5, 7000-661 Évora
https://restaurantecafealentejo.com

 Photo by Café Alentejo

TascaTosca

As its name anticipates, this is a contemporary tasca, that is, a type of Portuguese tavern that has a more modern approach to preparing and presenting plates meant for sharing. The foundation is very local, with pão alentejano from nearby bakeries, cured meats from regional producers, and cheeses that highlight the area’s strong cheesemaking tradition. But the way these ingredients come together feels a little more exploratory than in a typical tavern. You might find peixinhos da horta paired with lemon aioli, or alheira served not with fried egg, but folded into crisp pastries together with tomato jam. There’s also a rotating selection of salads and vegetarian dishes, often using organic vegetables sourced from farms around Évora. Their wine list focuses on independent Alentejo labels, especially those working with minimal intervention. Lean into the Portuguese art of petiscar and bring some friends together to visit TascaTosca and be able to try as many things as possible.

📍Av. 25 de Abril 177A, 2840-166 Arrentela
https://tascatosca.pt

 Photo by TascaTosca

O Moinho do Cu Torto

This restaurant wins when it comes to funny establishment names in Évora, as O Moinho do Cu Torto roughly translates as “the windmill of the crooked bum”. Inside the kitchen, though, things are taken seriously, as here they cook with a deep respect for Alentejo’s culinary tradition. Some of the local’s favorites include the slowly roasted lamb with garlic and bay leaf (borrego assado no forno), and beans and wild boar stew (feijoada de javali). They also prepare a wonderful migas de espargos com carne do alguidar, that is, a traditional Alentejo dish made of garlicky bread mash with wild asparagus, served alongside marinated, pan fried pork known as carne do alguidar. Even if you’ll just order a simple cut of grilled Iberian pork (secretos de porco preto grelhados), you will for sure eat very well at O Moinho do Cu Torto.

📍Rua de Santo André 2A, 7005-206 Évora
www.facebook.com/omoinhodocutorto

 Photo by O Moinho do Cu Torto via Facebook

Top bakeries and pastry shops in Évora

Pastelaria Conventual Pão de Rala

Few places in Évora preserve sweet culinary heritage as carefully as Pastelaria Conventual Pão de Rala. This pastelaria specializes in conventual sweets, that is, desserts that were historically created in convent kitchens using large quantities of egg yolks, sugar, almonds, and imagination. While you can find versions of these sweets elsewhere, here they’re made following original recipes, with precision and respect. Tasting these sweets is a gastronomic experience, but it’s also a cultural experience too. The house specialty is, unsurprisingly, pão de rala, which is a dense, flourless almond based pastry shaped to look like a rustic loaf of bread. Inside, it’s filled with sweet gila squash jam and egg yolk threads. This dessert alone is reason enough to visit, but there are others, including queijadas de Évora, encharcada, and delicate almond cakes (bolinhos de amêndoa), all reflecting the strong influence of the region’s religious orders on the local culinary identity.

📍Rua de Cicioso 47, 7000-658 Évora
www.instagram.com/explore/locations/9341375/pastelaria-conventual-pao-de-rala

 Photo by Joanaassembleia via TripAdvisor

Gema d’Évora

Right on Praça do Giraldo, Gema d’Évora is the kind of pastry shop that locals stop by on their way to work and travelers stumble into while trying to orient themselves in the city’s historic center. The pastry case features all the typical pastries you’d usually find at a Portuguese pastelaria, including croissants, queijadas, pão de Deus (pictured here), and mil-folhas. But if you prefer Portuguese savory snacks, we’d recommend to ask for an empada de galinha, the classic Alentejano chicken pie that’s soft on the outside and densely packed inside with spiced shredded meat. It’s one of those things you can eat hot or cold, for breakfast or as a snack, and still feel like you’ve had something genuinely local. Their creamy pastéis de nata are also good choices, especially if you’re sitting outside with a cup of coffee and enjoying some people watching.

📍Praça do Giraldo 16, 7000-508 Évora
www.facebook.com/p/Gema-Devora-100054490268074

 Photo by Gema d’Évora via Facebook

Pastelaria Violeta 

Pastelaria Violeta is located just outside the immediate tourist circuit but still within easy walking distance from the city center. This pastry shop is where locals actually go to, for quality, consistency and friendly prices. The selection here covers all the bases with flaky croissants, rich chocolate salami (salame de chocolate), moist almond cakes, and an array of seasonal specials depending on the time of year. It’s a good spot to grab a Portuguese style breakfast, either with sweet options or a more local and savory option such as a chicken pie, which here features a nicely golden and flaky crust and a moist filling which is very nicely seasoned. Great food, good coffee, friendly service, and a surprisingly large space inside, make Pastelaria Violeta a comfortable place to linger, whether you’re starting your morning or taking a breather after walking Évora’s cobbled streets. 

📍Rua José Elias Garcia 47, 7000-609 Évora
www.facebook.com/p/Pastelaria-Violeta-100041655746830

 Photo by Pastelaria Violeta via Facebook

Pastelaria Esperança

Pastelaria Esperança is a truly classic pastelaria, featuring a menu that’s barely changed in decades. What keeps it going is a loyal local clientele who come here for the kinds of baked goods that have fed generations. Their empadas are delicious and, besides the most typical one filled with shredded chicken, they also have versions featuring partridge, spinach, and other seasonal fillings are also worth trying. They’re more compact than the oversized versions you sometimes find in tourist cafés, with a soft dough and a moist, peppery filling. The sweets are varied, ranging from typical pastelaria classics to regional favorites. This establishment is perfect for a mid-morning of mid-afternoon stop, if you’re exploring beyond the historic center and enjoying Évora’s quieter side.

📍Av. Dona Leonor de Oliveira Fernandes 145 A, 7000-609 Évora

 Photo by JGordicho via TripAdvisor

The best wineries to visit near Évora

Adega Cartuxa

Even if you’re already sipping Cartuxa wines at dinner in Évora, visiting the source just a few minutes outside the city center adds a whole new layer of context. Tasting wine where it’s made allows you to understand not only how the wine is produced, but why it tastes the way it does. You see the landscape, learn about the soil and grapes, and hear the stories behind each label. That’s especially true at Adega Cartuxa, one of Alentejo’s most prestigious wineries and home to the legendary Pêra Manca wines. Located just a few kilometers from the city walls, Cartuxa is housed inside a former Jesuit retreat known as Quinta de Valbom, a site that dates back to the 16th century. Today, it’s operated by the Fundação Eugénio de Almeida, a non-profit foundation that also supports cultural and educational programs in the region. Visits are available in both Portuguese and English and can be booked in advance online. Options range from short tastings of three wines to premium experiences that include olive oil pairings or vertical tastings of older vintages. While the full range is worth exploring, Cartuxa is best known for its Pêra Manca tinto, a full-bodied red made only in exceptional harvest years, with great potential for aging. The EA line and Cartuxa branco are also widely appreciated and offer a more accessible entry point into the house style. Nearby, Enoteca Cartuxa serves as the group’s signature restaurant and wine bar. They serve a short but well curated seasonal menu designed to pair with the winery’s full range of wines, making for a perfect follow-up to your tasting.

📍Q.ta de Valbom, 7001-901 Évora
www.cartuxa.pt/en/wine-tourism

Photo by CM Moita

Ervideira

Ervideira is one of the most accessible wine tourism options in Évora, with the added bonus of having both a countryside Wine Lounge (about a 30 minute drive from the centre), but also a tasting room right inside the city. This flexibility makes it an ideal choice for visitors who may not have a car but still want to engage with the Alentejo wine scene beyond a simple restaurant wine list. Ervideira is a family-run winery with a winemaking tradition that goes back to the late 19th century. Today, it’s led by the eighth generation of the Leal da Costa family. Their wines are modern in style, focused on fruit purity, clean expression, and innovative techniques, including the first “invisible” wine in Portugal, a crystal clear white made from red grapes using a gentle filtration method. Wine tastings at Ervideira are tailored to different levels of interest, ranging from quick samplings at the Évora wine shop to full vineyard tours and picnic style experiences at their Wine Lounge, outside the city. If you’re serious about wine, you may want to consider joining their “Winemaker for a Day” experience, which allows guests to blend their own wine, bottle it, and take it home.

📍Wine Shop: Rua 5 de Outubro, 56 7000-854 Évora

📍Wine Lounge: Herdade da Herdadinha, Vendinha 7200-042 Reguengos de Monsaraz
https://ervideira.pt/en/experiences

Photo by Ervideira

Fita Preta

About 10 kilometers from the center of Évora, Fitapreta Vinhos offers one of the most intimate wine experiences in the region. The winery is the brainchild of António Maçanita, a prominent figure in contemporary Portuguese winemaking, known for combining scientific curiosity with a respect for native grape varieties and historical methods. While Maçanita produces wines in several regions, Fitapreta is his Alentejo project. The setting of Fitapreta is simply stunning, as the winery is located in the Paço do Morgado de Oliveira, a partially restored medieval estate that dates back to the 14th century. This unique backdrop houses modern production facilities and stylish tasting areas. Visitors can book a variety of experiences, from simple guided tastings to more in-depth visits that include vineyard walks and regional food pairings. Tastings are offered in multiple languages, and the team is well trained to present the wines in context, making the visit accessible for beginners and more seasoned for wine lovers too. There’s even a family friendly option for those visiting with kids, which isn’t something you see often at wineries. Standout wines include Palpite, a white made with Antão Vaz, Arinto, and Roupeiro aged in barrels; and Preta Cuvée, a bold, structured red that reflects the region’s sun and soil. Fitapreta also experiments with minimal intervention wines and old techniques, including limited releases using Vinho de Talha methods, fermented in clay amphorae. 

📍Estrada M527, km10, 7000-016 Évora
www.antoniomacanita.com/en/wineries/fitapreta/wine-tourism-alentejo

Photo by António Maçanita

Adega José de Sousa

Adega José de Sousa stands out for doing something old and rare. Located in Reguengos de Monsaraz (like Ervideira’s Wine Lounge above), about 35 minutes southeast of Évora, this winery is one of the few in Portugal still producing Vinho de Talha at scale, using giant clay amphorae (talhas) to ferment and age the wine, as the Romans once did. The practice of talha winemaking has survived mainly in the Alentejo, particularly in smaller villages like Vila de Frades. At José de Sousa, however, visitors can see it up close in an environment that combines storytelling with actual production. Inside the cellar, dozens of clay amphorae (some over 100 years old) are still in use, and the winery maintains both traditional talha methods and modern vinification processes in parallel. This allows guests to taste and compare different expressions of Alentejo terroir and technique in one place. The estate itself dates back to the 19th century, but winemaking at this site goes back even further, with archaeological finds linking the land to viticulture for centuries. Since the early 1980s, it has been owned by José Maria da Fonseca, one of Portugal’s oldest wine companies, which has invested in preserving the talha tradition while also producing more conventional DOC Alentejo wines under the same roof. Visits must be booked in advance and include a guided tour of both the modern and traditional cellars, followed by a tasting that those curious about natural winemaking and fermentation without temperature control will most certainly enjoy.

📍Rua de Mourão 1 7200, Reguengos de Monsaraz
www.instagram.com/adegajosedesousa

Photo by José Maria da Fonseca

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