Algarve Views has a simple goal: to showcase the Best the Region has to offer by bringing together Wine, Food, Nature and Culture
– April 7, 2022
To combat seasonality in the region, Algarve Views is the brainchild of visionary Andreia Ferreira, who worked at Lagoa’s Wine Cooperative. She witnessed the gradual growth of wine production in the region, at a time when there were few wineries here. With a degree in Marketing and a post-graduation in Wine Business, she recalls that, in those years, wine tourism was not a well-known concept, at least in the Algarve.
“Wine tourism is available year-round, and I noticed that many vineyard owners were beginning to show interest in producing their own wine. That is when I realised this market was an opportunity,” says Andreia, who brought Algarve Views to life in 2017.
A tourism company focusing mainly on winemaking, Algarve Views wants to showcase the region’s wineries from west to east, but it does not stop there. Besides the wine-tasting tours and visits to the producers, the company also enhances these experiences with different activities to suit all tastes, from boat tripsand visits to the Silves Museum and art galleries to nature walks. Although daily tours have a set itinerary, you may opt for a personalised event, with a choice of 13 wineries, 11 restaurants, and eight tours. Families with underage children can request babysitting services.
Available Monday to Friday, the set tours cost €130 per person, and they are all different, sharing a common motto: “Unique activities that show the potential of each venue and the best they have to offer,” says Andreia.
To start off the week, the experience starts with a tour of Quinta da Vinha, a 14-hectare estate which has been operating since 1977 in Silves and where the famous Cabrita wines are produced. The tour ends with a tasting of their finest wines alongside tapas, in a room with a privileged view towards the vines.
Quinta da Vinha
Next is a walk along the Algarve coast, stopping at Praia da Marinha, widely regarded as one of the most beautiful beaches in the world. Lunch is later served at Morgado do Quintão, in Lagoa, where visitors are invited to discover the grape varieties used by this winery whose history dates back over 200 years.
Thursday is spent in Silves, with a tour of the Castle and the Museum, followed by a visit to the winery and cellar at Quinta do Francês, where you can taste the wines produced at this eighthectare estate. After lunch at Ponte Romana restaurant, it is time to discover the region’s first organic wine producer, Quinta Rosa, and taste their organic and clay-aged wines.
Quinta dos Vales
Closing the week, Friday starts bright and early with a 3km cliff walk along the Seven Hanging Valleys Trail, in Lagoa, between Praia da Marinha and Praia de Benagil. Also in the morning, Quinta dos Vales, in Estômbar, hosts guests for a visit and tasting of four wines, with a privileged view of the large sculptures in the winery’s gardens. Visitors will also have the opportunity to learn professional wine-tasting techniques. Lunch and the tour end at Quinta dos Santos.
Quinta dos Santos
For 2022, Algarve Views will organise exclusive tours with partnering hotel chains (Vila Vita Parc, Epic Sana Algarve, and The Lake Spa Resort). Clients will also have the chance to be winemakers for a day at Quinta dos Vales with The Winemaker Experience, to discover, by boat, Arvad Wines on the banks of the Arade River, and to take a trip to Sagres. Another new addition to the programme is the yacht trips with white or rosé wine tastings, whilst enjoying the sunset or until dawn. Prices for the latter start at €890 for 4 people. The bespoke packages, where clients choose the activities they want, vary in price, starting at €130.
Aside from all this, Algarve Views also organises private events, represents Algarve wine producers at national events, and is currently preparing to open its first shop at Silves Market as soon as it reopens following renovations.
Algarve Views wine tours
Text by Maria Simiris
