Casa de Santa Vitória – Vila Galé

Focussed on wine and olive oil production, Casa de Santa Vitória offers wine lovers a unique wine tourism experience.

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In Portugal, there is no body or laws governing wine tourism. Each producer does what it can, and there are good examples of this activity throughout the Portuguese wine-making regions. And when they exceed expectations, customers are even more satisfied. This is the case of the Vila Galé Group, owner of Casa de Santa Vitória, in Beja, which makes top-quality wines and olive oils from the Alentejo.

The Malhada estate, where the winery and supporting hotel are located, was purchased in 1999 by businessmen Jorge Rebelo de Almeida and José Lavrador, owners of the Vila Galé Group. Passionate about farming and wine, they decided to invest in a hotel and a winery, which were built in 2004 and surrounded by 127 hectares of vineyards boasting 17 varieties, mostly Portuguese and some of the best-known international grapes.

Situated just 25 kilometres from Beja, the complex was designed for various types of visitor, with special focus on those interesting in wine tourism, “This is a rural resort, so it’s geared towards the country and wine-related activities. The winery is open every day except for Christmas Day and New Year’s Day. We have guided tours, and during the harvest season, people get more involved”, reveals Bernardo Cabral, the winemaker at Casa de Santa Vitória. “The activities always end with a nice lunch. People are very open and curious, and at the end of lunch it’s like we’ve been friends for years, because great empathy is created”, he says.

The winery has scheduled guided tours, one in the morning and another in the afternoon. At harvest time visitors can follow the whole wine-making process, from the vineyard to the winery. They pick grapes, participate in the grape treading in the winepress (lagar) and discover the other phases of the process in the winery all the way to the final bottling. Those who opt only for the winery tour, first watch a film about the company, the production process and the wines, and finish with the option of two tastings: the standard (two mid-range wines, one white and one red) or a special tasting (two top-end wines). Both tastings include regional charcuterie and olive oil produced by Casa de Santa Vitória.

For Bernardo Cabral, the wines served at these tastings are very interesting, with the Casa de Santa Vitória Reserva Red being one of the most recommended because it is “made in the lagar, traditionally trodden by foot and boasts an Old World character.” The Touriga Nacional is another very popular wine with visitors.

Other activities include lunch or dinner at the Pavilhão de Caça restaurant, mini-golf, walking, buggy rides, mountain or quad biking, clay pigeon shooting, taking part in bull fighting, traditional Portuguese games or water sports to tempt the more adventurous visitor.

by Maria João de Almeida

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