Where to enjoy Portuguese wine-tasting in vineyards near Lisbon

Great food and good wine go hand in hand. It’s virtually impossible to think about a special meal without the enhancing powers that wine brings to the table.

If there’s one thing that can make wine stand out besides being properly paired with dishes that match its profile, it’s to learn more about its origin. We’re firm believers that, when you know more about where ingredients and foods come from, you take in how much work goes into making them possible and, thus, you end up appreciating the end product even more, far beyond a mere sensorial manner.

If you are into wine and you happen to travel to the Portuguese capital, we’d highly encourage you to reserve a day or half day to visit one of the several vineyards in Lisbon's surroundings.

Portugal is divided into 14 official wine regions and 32 DOCs or DOPs, that is, defined geographical areas with controlled denomination of origin, including those in the Atlantic archipelagos of Madeira and Azores. Each wine region has its distinctive characteristic and particular terroir and, nearby Lisbon, you can actually visit three of Portugal’s wine regions: Lisboa, Tejo and the peninsula of Setúbal.

Lisbon is the second largest producer of wine in Portugal after the Vinho Verde region in the north of the country. During a quick day trip from the city, you can explore Lisbon region’s best wines, including the rare to find Carcavelos which we explore further below in one of our recommended winery tours. Tejo’s wine region sprawls the area of Portugal known as Ribatejo, which is mostly flat and conducive to growing all kinds of grape varieties, which are normally turned into fairly inexpensive wines best enjoyed with food rather than on their own. In turn, the peninsula of Setúbal is famed because of its Moscatel de Setúbal, a dessert wine produced with muscat grapes that shows a lovely deep golden hue.

If you’d like to do some Portuguese wine tasting, and around September perhaps even participate in the wine harvest itself, these are some of the best vineyards offering enotourism experiences near Lisbon.