- 10 Hours
- For the Whole Family
- 3 Wineries
On this tour we head south towards the Bairrada region, famous for its gastronomy but also for the fantastic wines it produces with its characteristic grape variety: Baga.
About the Region
The demarcated region of Bairrada is located between the cities of Aveiro and Coimbra. Wine production goes back to the 20th century, being the first wine region in Portugal to explore sparkling wine.
The vineyards are scattered in small parcels and the climate is cool and humid, contributing to the production of grapes with high acidity and low alcohol content.
Two approaches are used when it comes to wine production: the classic wines and the “bairrada” wines, in which different national and international grape varieties are used, including chardonnay, cabernet sauvignon and merlot. Between the many existing grape varieties, the most known are Baga and Alfrocheiro (red) and Fernando Pires (also named Maria Gomes in the region) and Bical (whites).
Our Partners
Luís Pato
Nicknamed “The Rebel Producer”, Luís Pato was the first of its generation to bring technical wine knowledge to the company, whose family wine production dates back to the 18th century.
This “non-conformist and pioneering spirit”, inherited from his father, led to the creation of unique wines in the Bairrada region, using revolutionary production techniques: the creation of red wine from destemmed grapes and aging in new French oak barrels.
Caves São Domingos
Founded in 1937 by Elpídio Martins de Semedo, Caves São Domingos are one of the most complete cellars in the Bairrada region to observe the entire sparkling wine production process, from swirling to bottling.
Initially focused on the production of sparkling wines, over time they expanded their range of products to include old brandies, ‘aguardentes bagaceiras’ and Bairrada wines.
In Caves São Domingos you’ll get to see up close the iconic ancient galleries carved out of the rock where 2 million bottles are stored.
Prior Lucas
José Francisco Prior was a small farmer in the parish of Souselas who cultivated vineyards and conducted all his business in the city of Coimbra. As the years passed, the properties were divided among the children and grandchildren, and the wine business gradually disappeared.
In the last decade, José Prior Lucas began cultivating the parcels that belonged to his grandfather, producing wine that he shared at the table with family and friends. Maintaining a small production is not just about making a limited number of bottles but an immense pleasure to see each vineyard grow, to accompany each vine and the development of the grapes, defining and imagining the wine that will come from them for each bottle.
It is a wonderful process! We hope you appreciate and enjoy each glass of Prior Lucas wine according to your experiences, environments and companions, retaining its identity, personality and uniqueness, which are the foundation of what we have best to offer in the wonderful world of wines.
Quinta das Bágeiras
Quinta das Bágeiras represents the passion of three family generations by the production of Bairrada Wine: grandparents, parents and sons are committed to producing wines with traditional methods, using minimalist winemaking and presenting the wines as they are: with quality, uniqueness and character, expressing “the terroir where they were born”.