Santana is a small village in the municipality of Portel, located alongside the ancient Roman road between Évora and Beja, on the border with Vidigueira, at the southern edge of the Alto Alentejo. “Sant’Anna da Serra do Mendro” is first recorded in the 18th century, following the remodelling of the medieval church, described as lying between “two villages, one called Baxo and the other Sima”, according to the Parish Records of Portel (1722–1832). The settlement of “Sima”, mentioned in 1758, is thought to be the origin of what is now Herdade Aldeia de Cima.
Isolated by nature, the village community developed an autonomous and sustainable way of life, in which forestry and agriculture continue to support much of the population, drawing on the montado system and the generosity of the land.
Respect for and curiosity about local culture invite us to step through a half-open door and discover the essence of village life. The white of the limewashed walls at each doorway contrasts with the colours found in nature and across the estate — the green of the cork oak leaves and the terracotta of the clay from which it grew — an effect that defines the village’s identity.
Owing to its isolation, the community developed an autonomous and sustainable way of life, reflected in a rich cuisine that brings together pastoral products—milk, curd, cheeses and lamb—with ingredients from vegetable gardens and orchards, as well as honey and dried fruits from the forest. Bread, a staple of local culture, remains today a living testament to a tradition deeply rooted in community life.
Set within the montado, an agrosilvopastoral system shaped over centuries, the community of Herdade Aldeia de Cima organised its way of life around a balance between forest, agriculture and pastoralism. Here, the authenticity of the place and the village’s spirit of community remain alive.
It generates a wide range of non-timber forest products, of which cork is the most emblematic example, alongside others such as acorns, olives, wine, cheese, strawberry tree fruit, honey, silarca mushrooms, and medicinal and aromatic herbs.
Beekeeping is crucial to the planet and to the balance of ecosystems. At Herdade Aldeia de Cima, we manage 10 apiaries and 359 beehives. From flower to flower, the bees collect nectar and pollen for their nourishment, pollinating the plants, enhancing agricultural productivity, and contributing to the well-being of communities.
The White Merino sheep is one of the oldest breeds in Alentejo, introduced by the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians during their trading voyages to the Iberian Peninsula. These docile sheep, with a robust build and fine wool, graze the vast montado expanses of Herdade Aldeia de Cima. The herd of over 2000 sheep, lives in semi-wild conditions, taking advantage of the natural pastures in this sustainable ecosystem. They help maintain the soil health, contribute to the natural regeneration of cork oaks, preserve local biodiversity and during the hot Alentejo summers, they help prevent wildfires.
Without haste, at Herdade Aldeia de Cima, we nurture the ancient olive trees, which demonstrate the resilience of these Portuguese species, pruning them carefully year after year. In the dos Fontanais farm, we find a true testimony to the passage of time — a millenary olive grove covering 1.25 hectares, with 85 olive trees and 2 wild oleasters.
At Monte do Bugano, 5 hectares of century-old olive groves of the Galega variety are cultivated, along with a recent plantation of 34 additional hectares of traditional olive grove with local olive varieties — Cobrançosa, Cordovil, and Galega.
The cork oak forest in the Herdade Aldeia de Cima is located within the Iberian-Mediterranean ecological area of the Ossa-Morena zone. Its anthropogenic system is based on the mixed presence of two oak species – the cork oak (quercus suber) and holm oak (quercus rotundifolia) and provides a variety of foodstuffs and wildlife habitats, which are essential for soil conservation, regulation of the water cycle, reduction of carbon emissions and conservation of biodiversity.
The estate preserves natural habitats such as woodlands filled with Cretan rockrose, woolly rock rose, gorse, groom, small trees and brambles, interspersed with spontaneous grassland. This habitat is ideal for sedentary species such as Iberian partridge, hare, pheasant, small bustard, fox, mongoose, wild boar and Alentejan black pig. In these pollution-free lands, it is common to see storks, sparrows and goldfinches, as well as impressive birds of prey, such as the black vulture or kite.
Beekeeping is crucial to the planet and to the balance of ecosystems. At Herdade Aldeia de Cima, we manage 10 apiaries and 359 beehives. From flower to flower, the bees collect nectar and pollen for their nourishment, pollinating the plants, enhancing agricultural productivity, and contributing to the well-being of communities.
The White Merino sheep is one of the oldest breeds in Alentejo, introduced by the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Carthaginians during their trading voyages to the Iberian Peninsula. These docile sheep, with a robust build and fine wool, graze the vast montado expanses of Herdade Aldeia de Cima. The herd of over 2000 sheep, lives in semi-wild conditions, taking advantage of the natural pastures in this sustainable ecosystem. They help maintain the soil health, contribute to the natural regeneration of cork oaks, preserve local biodiversity and during the hot Alentejo summers, they help prevent wildfires.
Without haste, at Herdade Aldeia de Cima, we nurture the ancient olive trees, which demonstrate the resilience of these Portuguese species, pruning them carefully year after year. In the dos Fontanais farm, we find a true testimony to the passage of time — a millenary olive grove covering 1.25 hectares, with 85 olive trees and 2 wild oleasters.
At Monte do Bugano, 5 hectares of century-old olive groves of the Galega variety are cultivated, along with a recent plantation of 34 additional hectares of traditional olive grove with local olive varieties — Cobrançosa, Cordovil, and Galega.
The cork oak forest in the Herdade Aldeia de Cima is located within the Iberian-Mediterranean ecological area of the Ossa-Morena zone. Its anthropogenic system is based on the mixed presence of two oak species – the cork oak (quercus suber) and holm oak (quercus rotundifolia) and provides a variety of foodstuffs and wildlife habitats, which are essential for soil conservation, regulation of the water cycle, reduction of carbon emissions and conservation of biodiversity.
The estate preserves natural habitats such as woodlands filled with Cretan rockrose, woolly rock rose, gorse, groom, small trees and brambles, interspersed with spontaneous grassland. This habitat is ideal for sedentary species such as Iberian partridge, hare, pheasant, small bustard, fox, mongoose, wild boar and Alentejan black pig. In these pollution-free lands, it is common to see storks, sparrows and goldfinches, as well as impressive birds of prey, such as the black vulture or kite.
The cork oak—also known as sobreiro, sobro or chaparro—is a tree from the oak family (Quercus), native to the Iberian Peninsula. The economic importance of cork, whose extraction does not require the tree to be felled, led to its spread from early times across the Mediterranean regions of Europe and North Africa.
With unique characteristics, the cork oak is covered by a layer of suber—cork—which naturally regenerates after harvesting. It is also the only species in the Mediterranean basin capable of resprouting from the crown after severe wildfires. Within the montado, its broad canopy, which can reach around 25 metres in height, helps reduce wind speed and creates a more balanced microclimate, supporting herbaceous vegetation and protecting other crops.
With a lifespan of 200 years, an individual cork oak tree needs 25 years before it is mature enough to have its bark harvested for the first time. It is a process that is repeated every 9 years by specialist craftsmen who are the highest paid farm workers in the world.
Cork oaks comprise 21% of the total forestry area in Portugal, so they create barriers against desertification and soil erosion. The cork oak tree also plays a key role in retaining tons of CO2, thus providing a valuable aid in reducing greenhouse gases, the main cause of climate change. The cork oak tree is protected by law and has been declared Portugal’s National Tree.
The Serra do Mendro has well-established hunting traditions. Its topography and heterogeneous flora have long made Herdade Aldeia de Cima known for the abundance of game, including partridge, hare, wild boar and small birds. Game management replaces the role once played by natural predators, preventing the degradation of the flora.
This singular ecosystem, with its rugged, undulating landscape and rich, diverse biodiversity, offers exceptional conditions for small-game hunting, especially for the Iberian partridge, which in this land refines its authenticity and tests the skill of the most attentive hunters.
In the cork oak and holm oak woodland, with some scattered maritime pine, schist soils and greater stoniness, natural habitats remain, with scrubland of rockrose, sargaço, gorse, broom, kermes oak and brambles, interspersed with spontaneous grasses, ideal for sedentary species such as the Iberian partridge, hare, pheasant, little bustard, fox, Egyptian mongoose, wild boar and red deer.
Thrushes abound in the surrounding olive groves and, in winter, there is also the possibility of hunting wood pigeon using decoys.
"Historic Record of the Noble Village of Portel", 1730, by Francisco de Macedo da Pinna Patalim.
Manuscript presented to His Highness, the Prince, our Lord and Duke of Bragança, D. José, the future King D. José.