With the aim of expressing the regional typicity of this warm land that has been producing wine for over 2,000 years, Aldeia de Cima wines—classic and elegant in style—reveal the complexity of heterogeneous soils and the character of indigenous grape varieties alongside varieties well adapted to the region. At Herdade Aldeia de Cima, we promote healthy and sustainable viticulture, with vineyards certified under organic production, and harvesting is still carried out by hand, guided by the dedication and knowledge of the local community. These are wines that preserve the history of the place, released to the market two years after the harvest.
Garrafeira is an old Portuguese term referring to wines aged in bottle, a process that encourages better integration of structure, body, acidity and oak. Over time, this designation has been incorporated into the legislation governing some of Portugal’s finest wines.
A reflection of the unique richness and freshness of the Serra do Mendro terroir, it respects the primary elements — soil, climate and grape variety — and takes us back to village culture, to our identity, to the wines of times past.
Here, the land is regarded as our home. In French oak vats, the focus is on fine textures, mineral notes, intense aromas, fresh fruit and the Mediterranean woodland. This aromatic complexity results from the meeting of local grape varieties grown at altitude with soils on sun-exposed slopes, where temperatures moderated by cool Atlantic winds give rise to a different Alentejo.
Herdade Aldeia de Cima revives traditions. We interpret our origins. Here, there is something that is genuine and intense, evoking what is incomparable about Alentejo — its density, its aromas and its depth. It could only have come from Alentejo. This is a serious wine, faithful to its land, a unique combination of robust origins with sophistication and precise definition.
It is a timeless wine with a strong and enduring personality. The pull of nostalgia reminds us that time has not run out.
Myndru wines are wines of memory that reinterpret Alentejo tradition. A reflection of what is truly typical, they are born from poor, skeletal soils that give them a distinctive body, combined with a meticulous and respectful approach to winemaking, where fresh fruit ferments and matures in organic vessels such as cocciopesto amphorae and clay tinajas.
Our memory takes us to the fresh aromas of the Aldeya vineyard slopes, exposed to the gentle winds of the Serra do Mendro. There, we sense the varied composition of the land: shimmering quartz particles, the singularity of green schist, the sharp stones scattered along the foot of the slope, and clods of clay hardened by the heat of the sun.
Myndru recovers the delicacy of ancient Alentejo grape varieties. Ageing in cocciopesto amphorae preserves the dense perfumes of white flowers from the grain fields, the sap of shrubs growing alongside the vineyard, and the stone fruits that ripen unhurriedly in the small garden by the house.
With a classic structure and firm texture, this wine reveals the freshness of trace elements, the tension of the sun and a serious gravitas. It departs with a long finish, firmly focused on ancestry.
We descend the Serra do Mendro to its foothills through the Cevadeira plots, sheltered by the shadows of the slopes. Ancient, thin-skinned grape varieties, translucent in colour, with rounded tannins. In Myndru, we find tradition and typicity: fine, delicate aromas of red fruits grown on lightly structured brown soils in a cool climate, alongside balsamic notes of scrubland and rockrose.
The transparency of delicately copper-hued grapes in plaster and clay amphorae reveals the texture and perfume of the orange groves cultivated further below, by the stream. The gravitas of Alfrocheiro, together with the succulence and viscosity of Tinta Grossa, creates sensations that inhabit the memory and recall wines that echo primitive voices.
On the finish, the mineral perception and the tension of Baga assume a surprising firmness.
The cante alentejano is an expression of identity, recognised as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. It was born in the work of the fields, reflecting a connection to the land, resilience and a collective spirit. It is a chant to the plains, the animals and the rhythms of Alentejo, where one senses the heat, the countryside breeze and the slow cadence of a summer night.
We speak of the orographic feature formed by the Serra do Mendro, which separates Upper and Lower Alentejo. This east–west fault in Vidigueira creates a natural corridor for the influence of Atlantic winds.
It was here, gazing at the pale blue of the sky, that we dreamed our wines. The Reserva Branco brings together the terroir of this land, shaped by a cooler climate and the diversity of skeletal soils, resulting in a wine of balance and perfumed aroma, with a linear structure, great density and pronounced minerality.
We studied the history of wine and vineyards in the Alentejo territory, a continuous presence through time and space of tradition, geology, textures and aromas. We set out in search of traditional grape varieties. We found them; they were close to us.
It is through simple processes that we achieve transparent wines — Reserva Tinto is a wine of place and emotion, an authentic messenger. We sought to understand the nature of the micro-terroirs — and we succeeded.
Luisa Amorim grew up with a deep knowledge of Alentejo. Alongside her father, Américo Amorim, she learned the importance of planting cork oak trees for future generations.
Together with her husband, Francisco Rêgo, and their two daughters, they have been restoring the community spirit and traditional Alentejo architecture of Aldeia de Cima and Santana.
Herdade Aldeia de Cima is managed by the couple Luisa Amorim and Francisco Rêgo.
From the outset, operations have been coordinated by Gonçalo Ramos, who is responsible for forestry activity and animal production.
Winemaker António Cavalheiro, supported by Joaquim Faia in viticulture, shapes the profile of Herdade Aldeia de Cima wines, with particular focus on the study of the Serra do Mendro’s micro-terroirs.