Go to any Portuguese ‘garrafeira’ (bottleshop) with a broad selection of Portuguese wines, and it is obvious to see that Portuguese wineries have eagerly imitated the worldwide trend in turning to bigger, taller and heavier bottles in an attempt to meet consumers´perceptions of high-end wines. “Consumers perceive the wine as better if [...]

At Cortes de Cima, instead of just hiding from Alentejo’s abundant sunshine, we have decided to harness it. 56 square meters of solar panels top our southern facing roof, combined with a thermal tank of 5.000 liters to supply the winery with all the hot water we need. These solar collector panels each have [...]

Since our arrival at Cortes de Cima in 1988, we have converted arable land to forest through the planting of 46 hectares of mixed holm oak, cork oak , and pine in the foothills surrounding our water reservoir. We project planting another 20 hectares of cork forest during the next year. That translates into [...]

Of course we are passionate about corks! Corks are literally grown in our own backyard! Even a routine trip to town takes us though a landscape of Alentejan plains dotted with ancient cork oaks, where sheep and goats graze, and black Iberian pigs scout for acorns.
“Cork oak forests rank among the top biodiversity [...]

What is sustainable viticulture or viticulture raisonée ?
Our vineyards and olive groves are accredited under a sustainable program called ‘Integrated Protection’. Under this program, we are required to only use ‘soft’ chemicals, and only when symptoms appear - preventive spraying is not permitted. Our vineyards and olive trees are subject to spot [...]

In Portugal, we have been pioneers with an environmentally friendly solution for the disposal of our winery waste water.
All the water used in the winery goes through bio-treatment ponds and ends up in a reed bed, where the waste water is completely consumed by the reeds. This “Biocomplex” is a natural method of sewage [...]