On our 5th day in Portugal, we visited the Amorim Cork Factory. The company purchases the cork from cork tree growers. At this location the Amorim factory receives the stacked layers of cork and begins boiling the cork and checking the cork for defects. At another Amorim location the cork begins its formation into bottle corks, insulation, soles for shoes and many more products.

Amorim Cork

Amorim Cork

Amorim Cork

Our next stop was Plansel winery and garden center. We met Jorge Böhm and quickly realized his passions of grapevines/olive trees, art and wine. Our group was treated to a delightful lunch in his private art collection room.

Plansel winery

Plansel

Plansel Vineyards

Reguengos de Monsaraz is a delightfully unique and historic village set atop a high hill with views of the countryside. One guide told us that the village has approximately 50 residents who are located in the village below and the castle above. It was a wonderful stop for our group to make. A few minutes later we stopped to view a monolith.

Reguengos de Monsaraz

Reguengos de Monsaraz

Monolith

Jose de Sousa winery emphasizes producing wines in large clay pots which are housed on top of the ground and located in the wine cellar. Notice the curved arches which add a lovely ambiance to the scene.

José de Sousa winery

José de Sousa winery

José de Sousa clay pots

We stayed overnight at Convento do Espinheiro. This building was once a convent and has been renovated to accommodate visitors. Guest rooms are large and the curved arches in the dining area, where we enjoyed breakfast, were elegant.

Convent

Convent dining area

Convent

Watch for our future Wine Trail Traveler articles about these Portuguese locations.

Cheers!
Kathy