Atlantic Wine Terroir
All about how and where we grow grapes. Read more about our winecaft or where to buy our wines.
We take a collaborative approach to viticulture and winemaking. We closely work with vintners in and around the city of Lisbon, whose vines thrive in the ecologically rich mixed landscapes and climates of the Atlantic coast. 
Many long days are spent in the vineyards to accompany the grapes’ growth cycle, for the pruning and to harvest. Our team of friends and family carefully hand pick the grapes in 20 liter boxes, which we then carry to the winery.
Caparide Valley – A Cloister Vine Garden on the Estoril Coast
Half of Adega Belém’s red wines are made from grapes grown in the Caparide valley located on the southern coast of the Lisboa peninsula, around 15 km west of the winery. This valley stretches from the beaches of São Pedro de Estoril to the foothills of the Sintra mountain range, which shields it from cool northwestern Atlantic winds. Calcareous rocks and fossil marine shell beds underneath geo-historically more recent sediments by the Caparide river have formed a water-retaining fluvisol with weakly structured soil horizons and a fertile topsoil; an ideal base for lighter red wines. The climate is Atlantic with cool nights and warm to hot days leading to an extended grape ripening period. The vineyard belongs to one of Lisbon’s oldest priest seminars and has been part of the historic DOP Carcavelos since its inception. It is today managed by a small experienced agriculture team, implementing a low intervention protocol, based mainly on ad hoc treatments against fungal grape diseases. There is no irrigation. We have also put a couple of scarecrow in the vineyard to deal with the abundant and gourmand local pigeon population.
Tapada da Ajuda – A Vineyard inside Lisbon
The grapes for most of Adega Belém’s white wines are grown at the vineyard of the University of Lisbon, located at the campus of the Instituto Superior de Agronomia in Lisbon’s urban neighbourhood of Ajuda. Located in the lower foothills of the Monsanto mountains, the vineyards face south and overlook the Tejo river. Shielded from the cool northwestern Atlantic winds, the vineyard benefits from a Mediterranean microclimate within an Atlantic region. Further adding to this curious situation is the selection of grape varietals grown here, mostly cool climate grapes including Encruzado, Moscatel Gaelgo, and Alvarinho that call the North of Portugal home. The ripening period starts very early and harvests as well are usually already in full swing when most of Portugal is still in summer holiday at the beaches of Algarve. The soils are rich in old calcareous rocks covered by loamy silt deposits transported here by the Tejo river and the wind. The vineyards are managed by a professional agriculture team implementing a low intervention protocol, based mainly on ad hoc anti-fungal treatments, punctual irrigation and the physical protection of grapes via nets.
Bemposta em Alenquer – Portugal’s Napa valley
The grapes of the more intense red wines produced by Adega Belém – Rabo da Rainha Grande Reserva 2020 and Lili 2020 – are grown in a vineyard next to the River Ota in the DOP region of Alenquer, about half an hour drive northeast from the winery along the river Tejo. The main varieties grown here are Touriga Franca, Touriga Nacional, Alicante Bouschet and Castelão. The soil is mainly formed by silt sediments from the Tejo and Ota rivers, with a deeper calcareous underground. Benefiting from the cool breeze of the Atlantic during the night and early morning, while being exposed to full sunshine from mid day, the grapes profit from a prolonged ripening period and optimal phenolic ripeness in most years. The vineyard is managed by a team of experienced viticulturists and applies a minimal intervention approach, mainly based on ad hoc treatments against fungi and pests. The vineyard does not use an irrigation system.