Gourmet Tour - Arrabida & Wine Tasting

Marvel at the botanical wonders within the Nature Park of Arrabida and enjoy an inspired tasting at a winery that one family has owned for six generations. The seaside park is one of the few places in Portugal where Mediterranean maquis flourishes. The evergreen shrubbery is extraordinary fragrant because it is composed of plants such as lavender, myrtle and wild mint. The park’s other natural sights are just as diverse, as you will pass chalk cliffs, remote beaches and a majestic coastal mountain range. After free time to explore the village of Sesimbra, you head for José Maria da Fonseca winery, which was founded in 1834. The wines are fermented in large clay amphorae, a method that dates to Roman times, and the finished products are spectacular as you will discover during the sampling. One last stop awaits you at Cristo Rei, a statue similar to the famed Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Enjoy a panoramic drive through the extraordinarily scenic Nature Park of Arrabida.
• Sample wines fermented in clay amphorae, a method the Romans used 2,000 years ago.
• Pause at the hilltop Cristo Rei statue and take in the sweeping views of Lisbon.

HELPFUL HINTS

• Dress in weather-appropriate clothing.
• Wear flat comfortable walking shoes.