This program can start at the Humberto Delgado – Lisbon airport, at the Hotel where the visitor is staying (whether he is part of our network of partners).

Since it is a long term trip, visitors will depart from Lisbon around 8am to arrive in Melgaço around lunchtime.

The production of Alvarinho wine – a unique product in the world, limited to the sub-region Monção-Melgaço, is a region with a unique microclimate, temperate climate, with cold and rainy winters and a dry and mild summer. Thermal amplitudes are not significant either, as the existence of the Minho river and its tributaries cause a regulation in temperature where thermal amplitudes are not significant. The soil also contributes to the specificity of the Alvarinho wine.

1st day

Visitors will arrive in Melgaço around lunchtime, so they will go to the local restaurant that works the regional cuisine accompanied by Alvarinho wine produced in the area.
After lunch travelers will go to Quintas de Melgaço winery, a winery that brings together 500 small producers of the area as its shareholders, becoming protagonists and promoters of the region, as such this company was the first to be certified for the quality of wines it produces.
In this winery visitors make a visit to the winemaking area, following the whole process and a tasting inside or outside the winery depending on weather conditions.
The tasting consists in tasting 4 wines and 2 sparkling wines (from the old vineyard wine to an old reserve sparkling wine, if available), with a gastronomic accompaniment based on the regional smoked and cheese products of the region.
Then travelers will visit Solar do Alvarinho in Melgaço, where they can learn all the history of Alvarinho wine and associated products.
At the end of the day they will go to the restaurant, in case they wish to take the dinner meal and later to Solar de Serrade where they will stay overnight.

2nd Day

Breakfast at the manor, with the products produced by the owners.
Then the travelers leave for a visit to the Palace, a place of long history and tradition in the world of Alvarinho.
The Neoclassical style Palace, already with baroque influence, was built in the early nineteenth century by the nobleman of the Royal House and that the authorship of the project was attributed to Carlos Amarante, however, given the similarities with the Palácio da Ajuda, it is deduced that there was influence of architects from Lisbon.
The Palace took a new direction in its activity from the beginning of the 20th Century – 1901, when it was acquired by an influential merchant from Oporto, who turned to the architect Ventura Terra. He built a winter garden and a theater among other rooms, restored most of the ceilings, introduced the Portuguese tiles in the staircase and atrium, creating unique conditions in the palace.

In 1937 the Palace was sold again, being a gift from her father to Maria Hermínia Silva d’Oliveira Paes, it was this lady who restructured the Palace and proceeded to plant the grape variety and market the prestigious Alvarinho wine.

In 1974, the Palace meets all the conditions inherent to the production and marketing of Alvarinho wine. Mr. Emílio Magalhães was invited to the administration, which from 2010 opened its doors to the outside and started to make known to the public, in general, this unique work of the Monçanense culture as well as its products – Alvarinho wine and brandies, among others.
At 11am the visitors have a view of the woods, vineyards, lake and Chapel of San Francisco, as well as a visit to the interior of the Palace and its old winery, ending with a tasting of Alvarinho wine produced by the Palace.

After the visit to the palace, the visitors go to the restaurant to have lunch and taste the regional cuisine and Alvarinho wines.

After lunch, they will resume the journey towards Lisbon, to the places from where they left or others within the Lisbon border area.