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Complex wine showing ripe fruit and well-integrated oak characters with rich, textured tannins, superb balance and long, flavoursome aftertaste. A perfect match with hearty, Alentejan fare.

Has typical violet and dark berry fruit aromas with toasty oak complexity. Palate is firm with rich spicy fruit characters. Complements pastas and red meat.

This granite, mountain inn is set in terraced gardens bursting with a fine collection of camellias. The views are spectacular, especially from the side of the pool.

Unrivalled as the best hotel along the Guadiana, guests here wake up to a view of the river and rural Spain beyond. An ideal place to relax and unwind.

This gourmet retreat is set amidst splendid sea-front gardens and is home to Portugal’s only two-star Michelin restaurant (open to non-residents). Rooms and suites are individually decorated but are only available on a half-board basis (breakfast and evening meal).

The fragile habitat of the dunes contains a wealth of flora, including the beautiful large yellow restharrow which blankets the sand with a bright mantle of delicate petals.

Just off the town’s main square is the Palácio do Visconde de Estói, a 19th-century Rococo palace, with gardens fanned by giant palms and cooled by fountains. A ten-minute walk from here brings you to the site of Milreu, a Roman complex dominated by the apse of a temple that was converted into a Christian basilica in the 5th century.

The quiet, unassuming country village of Estói basks in the glory of two major attractions. The pink Rococo façade of the town’s florid, 19th-century palace holds court over a garden replete with ornamental fountains and a terrace decorated with blue and white azulejos. Ten minutes’ walk away are the well preserved ruins of the Roman peristyle villa built in the 2nd century AD.

Dominating this graceful town is the Torre das Três Coroas, the Tower of the Three Crowns, named in honour of kings Sancho II, Afonso III and Dinis. You can gain free access to the tower via the adjoining castle and palace. The nearby Museu Municipal is housed in a 17th-century almshouse. Among the exhibits are some wonderful examples ofbonecos , pottery figurines typical of the region.

The historic centre of Évora, capital of the Alentejo, is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Stunning examples of Roman, Moorish, medieval and 17th-century architecture abound in the narrow streets and breezy squares. The central Praça do Giraldo has a wonderful 16th-century fountain. A walk from the square up the lively Rua 5 de Outubro leads to the grandiose Sé (cathedral). An adjacent 16th-century palace houses the Museu de Évora. The nearby Roman temple is the best preserved monument of its kind in Portugal. See The Alentejo.