We had the privilege to visit “Monte do Álamo”, a traditional farmhouse located in the area of Tavira. We were warmly welcomed by Maria do Rosário who proudly shared the concept and the story behind this splendid location.

What used to be an old ruin has been completely renovated into a traditional and comfortable accommodation, surrounded by a serene ambience in the pure nature. Inspired by the local heritage and sustainability principles, Rosário and her family saw an opportunity in starting a business that soon became their passion.

The brand “Monte do Álamo” is named after the native Álamo (poplar) tree. Thus, the road “Poço do Álamo” where the farmhouse is located, served as inspiration for the designation of the current brand. Based on the foundation of revealing the Algarvian traditional secrets, this family integrated some key elements to enhance the experience of their guests.

The reconstruction of this farmhouse was finished in 2005, offering 6 unique rooms, stylishly designed, integrating the rural environment with a special touch. With the accommodation in its core, several farming activities have been introduced. Agriculture started to play a pivotal role, providing high quality fruits and vegetables that are essentially used for the preparation of the meals.

Rosário explains that they use the compost and green manure as a fertilizer for the soil. The technique of green manure also known as “adubação verde” consists of incorporating green biomass to the soil for its benefits. The fact that the soil in the area has a lot of stones is unfavourable for agriculture. Moreover, organic agriculture requires a thorough analysis of the soil, to understand which fertilizers are needed. There are European laws about organic agriculture that must be followed, ensuring a healthy soil. Certified as an organic farm, Monte do Álamo is also part of the agro-ecological association “Al-Bio – Associação Agroecológica do Algarve”. These partnerships allow ecological producers from the Algarve to work together and support each other in their businesses. Rosário explains that as a small-scale farm, it is important to foster these partnerships, resulting in mutual profit.

In cooperation with “Taste Algarve” (www.tastealgarve.com), gastronomy also plays an essential role in the experience at “Monte do Álamo”. The carob, fig, almond and olive trees provide important ingredients for the creation of delicious meals for the guests. The main highlight of this gastronomic feature are the typical cooking classes. Based on the Portuguese traditional cuisine, these classes provide a real insight into traditional recipes, local and seasonal products and all the knowledge behind the rich gastronomic culture of the Algarve. The cooking classes are provided by Rosário’s daughter who differentiates her classes from the others by including a visit to the local market, introducing the real Mediterranean diet.

For the sporty ones, there is also the possibility to request yoga classes, Pilates or personal trainings. Guests that prefer a relaxing moment can take a massage and enjoy the peaceful surroundings. Basically any customized programme can be created including tours around the area, workshops, hiking, biking and boat rides.

As a small-scale family business, in the high season it becomes challenging to manage all the work. Therefore, “Monte do Álamo” also works together with "Work Away". Through this platform people can apply to volunteer with helping on the farm, in exchange for an incredible experience at this accommodation. This opportunity attracts many international travellers who aim to contribute and expand their knowledge about the Portuguese culture.

After running this business for over 17 years, Rosário expresses her dedication and the will to improve year by year. Some of the upcoming projects involve contributing to the biodiversity of the farm by getting some chickens, sheep and a goat. On top of that, there are also plans to invest in photovoltaic panels, for the generation of green energy.

Thus, a very promising accommodation worth exploring. “Monte do Álamo” is the brand that preserves the heritage, contributes to sustainable development and is proud to share the traditional treasures of the Algarve to its guests. A valuable family business, with a personal touch that makes people feel at home in a privileged location.

If you are looking to expand your knowledge of wines, practising enotourism or attending an event, then Quinta do Canhoto is the right place to be. During our wine tasting experience, Joana Fernandes and Edgar Vilarinho shared their valuable insights about the wine that they produce, their sustainable principles and the story behind Quinta do Canhoto.

Located in between the countryside, the sea and the city, Quinta do Canhoto is a family business that already covers 5 generations. This farm was built in 1949 and started its business selling grapes to other cooperatives. However, 2017 marked the change of the business when the opportunity emerged to produce their own wine and thus, a new wine brand was born, “Esquerdino”. With a total of 22 hectares, this farm grows its vineyards and produces the wine in a wine cellar. The combination of its peaceful landscape with the efficient design of the building fosters the harmony with nature and the quality of the wines.

During the tour through the wine cellar, Edgar explained how the vineyards are planted according to the climatic conditions and the geographical elements. Irrigation plays a very important role in the vineyards. From the end of April until the beginning of July, all the plants are watered once a week which in total accounts for 25 to 27 litres of water per week per plant.

Furthermore, before planting any plants, it is required to ask permission from the government. In order to control the plantations of vineyards, each plant is given an ID number containing the name of the variety and the type of root. A soil analysis is needed to match the right roots with the soil. Some biological techniques are slowly getting implemented but always very carefully in order to avoid losing all the grapes.

Not only the water scarcity, but also the high temperatures in the Algarve are a big problem for the production and the harvest of the grapes. Portugal, as well as most Southern European countries, and in particular the Algarve, suffer from high temperatures and few rainy days throughout the year. Edgar states that over the last 5 to 7 years, climate change became evident. Last year, around 50 thousand litres of wine were produced, whereas this year there were about 20 thousand litres less.

Another challenge is the lack of skilled people to work in the fields during the harvest. Edgar and his team start working at about 6 a.m. when the grapes are nicely cool, up until 10.30 a.m. when temperatures reach 25°C. Afterwards, the winemaking work continues in the cellar until the end of the day, under the supervision of the resident enologist, Josefina Fernandes, sister and partner of Edgar. Before the start of the harvest in the first week of August, the grapes are continuously analysed for the percentages of acidity, sugar and alcohol. If the seed is brown and all the other requirements are met, the grapes are ready to be picked.

The wine cellar has big tanks for the wine fermentation which differs according to the varieties of grapes. In this sense, the white and rosé wines don’t require such a long process and are ready in about 10 to 11 months. Unlike the red wine, they don’t have the skin of the grapes during the fermentation. The red wine takes around 16 to 18 months. Afterwards, all the skin waste goes to the countryside to get dried and mixed up with organic material from animals to create fertilizer for the soil. Besides the grape harvest, figs, almonds and olives as well as 17 to 21 thousand kilos of carobs are also collected per year, over a period of about two months.

After having gathered all the knowledge about the vineyards and the wine production, Joana Fernandes shared valuable information about the architecture features of the building. Based on her academic degree in architecture and a postgraduate degree in bioclimatic architecture, Joana designed the entire building herself.

The thickness of the exterior walls and the double-glazed windows retain heat and provide thermal comfort in winter. In summer, to ventilate the room, small windows can be opened which are located at the north side of the building, allowing the air to flow north-southwards. These passive construction measures avoid the use of the air conditioning. It is crucial to ensure specific temperatures to conserve the wine and to allow its fermentation. Depending on the sugar level, red wines usually ferment at 20°C for 3 to 8 weeks, whereas white and rosé wines require 17°C for 2 to 3 weeks. This wine cellar was strategically designed to be underground which keeps the temperatures down, saving up on energy. Quinta do Canhoto also uses renewable energy sources like solar energy to heat the water. Alongside this, they are also planning to add energy-generating photovoltaic panels.

Joana explains that besides the wine production, they also host winery tours, wine lunches and events such as weddings, baptisms and gala dinners. In total, the farm can host about 150 people. The catering for these events is from an external company, given the small scale of the family business. For the tours and lunches, guests are invited to taste local dishes, prepared by Joana’s mother, Josefina Fernandes, accompanied with the idyllic matching wine.

Its unique name “Quinta do Canhoto” refers to a left-handed person. It was believed that the man who took care of the farm was left-handed. The name remained through the years and funny enough, in the recent generations, some family members are left-handed. Therefore, the brand name “Esquerdino” was chosen which is the more modern Portuguese word for “left-handed” - for a wine not being stored in barrels yet. In future, there will be a wine that will be aged in wooden barrels.

Joana states that most of the guests search online for wineries in the Algarve, and they find Quinta do Canhoto due to its good ratings. A few Portuguese and French visit the winery but mostly people are from Sweden, the Netherlands, England, Belgium and Germany.

All in all, this five generations old family business, based on bioclimatic architecture, ensures high respect for nature using the needed technology and equipment for the production of high quality wines.