The Quinta da Bacalhôa estate and its iconic palace are situated in Azeitão (Setúbal's Peninsula Wine Region), less than an hour South from Lisbon. This wine tourism site can be visited and if you are an history and art lover, combining all of this with a wine tasting can make the perfect day trip from the Portuguese capital.
The estate, dating from the 15th century was once property of the Portuguese royal family. In the 16th century, the estate was sold to the eldest son of Dom Afonso de Albuquerque, Vice-Roy of the Portuguese India.
The new proprietor introduced several improvements on the buildings, including the embellishment with tiles. Over the centuries, the architecture, the interior decoration of the buildings and the design of the gardens of the Palace have been influenced by its owners, who drew inspiration from their travels across Europe, Africa and the Orient to transform the property in one of the artistic treasures of Portugal.
After returning to the Portuguese royal family in the beginning of the 20th century, in 1936 the Bacalhôa Palace was bought and restored by Orlena Scoville, a North American citizen. In the 70's her grandson transformed the estate into one of the largest producers of wine in Portugal. Currently, the Bacalhôa estate belongs to the Berardo Foundation, and houses part of the private art collection of the Berardo family.
A guided visit to the estate will lead you trough the palace, having the opportunity to take a look at the various pieces of art (including amazing tiled panels) in exhibition on the public part of the palace. The visit includes a walk in the gardens and to the pool house, that usually in the Renaissance and 18th century Portugal used to be named Casa de Fresco (house of freshness).
One of the big attractions of the visit is the amazing tiles collection, including both originals from the palace and items from the private collection.
One of the emblematic wines of the estate is the homonymous Palácio da Bacalhôa, a special wine that its only produced when the perfect conditions are gathered in that year, depending on a small production of a specific variety (Petit Verdot). Its a special wine for special occasions and one you may want to take home.
The visit to the palace is complemented with a wine tasting and with a visit to the winery of the estate that doubles as museum, housing 3 interesting exhibitions, and that will be subject of a future article. The visits should be schedule ahead, using the phone number or email address mentioned bellow.
Quinta and Palácio da Bacalhôa
Phone:+351 212 198 067
Email: visitas@bacalhoa.pt
GPS: 38°31'25.62"N | 9° 1'0.47"W
Opening Hours and Ticket Prices:
Monday to Saturday: 10am to 6pm
Guided Tours: 10:30 am | 11:30 am | 2:30 pm | 3:30 pm | 4:30 pm
Duration of guided tour with wine tasting: 60 minutes
Quinta and Palácio da Bacalhôa €4,00
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