Title – Name
Taboadella Estate
Scope / Sector / Industry
Wine tourism
Country / Region
Portugal, Dão region
Why is it good practice?
The Taboadella Estate is considered a good practice wine tourism unit because through its operation it has tried to achieve the dissemination of local culture, through authentic wine tourism and cultural experiences and at the same time the sustainable management of the unit, as mandated by European policies for climate management change. However, another very important element that makes the Taboadella winery special is the fact that it is run by a woman, something unusual in a traditionally male-dominated field such as winemaking.
How is it applied?
The Taboadella Estate is located in the Dão area of the Silvã de Cima Municipality in Portugal and is an area of 42 hectares of vineyards on a plateau between 400 and 530 meters above sea level. The Estate belongs to the Amorim family, who have been involved in the world of wine since 1870, when they first started producing cork stoppers. Since 1999, the fourth generation of the family has been involved in wine, it is now a female affair and has a deep respect for the historical heritage and reputation of one of Portugal’s most important wine regions.
The Amorim family cultivates exclusively indigenous grape varieties, combining traditional techniques as well as technology to produce their wines. Today, the average age of the vines is 30 years, however some of them are over 100 years old.
The family’s goal is to achieve a harmonious symbiosis of the past and the future, utilizing natural materials such as wood and cork. The result of this goal was the newly designed and architecturally special winery, by Carlos Castanheira, a famous Portuguese architect who creates buildings from natural materials.
The Amorim family, with the aim of offering special experiences that highlight the wine culture and local tradition of the region, has planned and implements a set of activities and actions in this direction.
The experiences it offers visitors are summarized below:
- Tasting of the estate’s wines accompanied by local products, as well as estate and winery tour.
- Thematic tastings.
- Breakfast at the winery.
- Sunday walk on the estate, the nearby lake and the forest of the area.
- Special workshops in collaboration with the locals of the Dão area, such as mushroom picking, basket weaving, cheese and dessert production, tea and infusion making, ceramics and other arts.
- Local crafts and products from local artists and producers in the shop within the winery. The website of the winery displays the story behind each product, thus giving great importance to the people with whom the winery collaborate. Ceramics, textiles, cheeses, cured meats, teas and sweets are some of the local products available for sale.
- Accommodation in a mountain residence, which is available exclusively for two nights.
- Sports activities such as hiking, cycling, pilates or yoga and rowing on the river Dão.
- Local product tastings.
- Creation of your own wine. Includes tasting and blending, image and label creation, and bottle creation for own consumption.
- Creation of a meal by the visitor himself with a welcome basket offer with selected types of products.
- Suggestions for visiting and discovering the wider area.
- Experience packages for businesses including meetings, bonding actions, etc.
- Spaces for holding events.
As part of supporting events, photography, videography, music, decorative compositions, babysitting, etc. services are offered.
In addition to the services provided by the winery, another important reason why the Estate is a good wine tourism business practice is because it makes a significant effort to provide services in terms of sustainability. In order to preserve the natural biodiversity in the area, the Estate incorporates practices with respect to traditional integrated viticultural techniques and practices, combining biological and biodynamic processes.
The sustainability practices implemented on the Estate are summarized below:
- Best practices of integrated and organic viticulture, using organic fertilizers and traditional techniques respecting the rhythm of nature.
- Control of temperatures and weather conditions in order to avoid any extra processing or to do it only when absolutely necessary.
- Defoliation of the vines ensuring a reduction in scalding.
- Composting plant material and crushing wood from pruning, returning organic matter to the soil.
- Respect for the heritage of indigenous species, which are more resistant and perfectly adapted to the soil and climate conditions of the area and the estate.
- Preservation of the existing forests, providing shelter for the fauna of the area.
- Preservation of centuries-old trees.
- Use of natural materials such as wood and cork.
- Wastewater management.
- Sorting solid waste and placing organic waste bins.
- Educating and promoting equality, where men and women have the same opportunities.
- Working with local suppliers and farmers to preserve the traditions of the region.
- Construction of buildings using natural materials such as wood and cork and decoration with natural wool and special by local artists and craftsmen.
Where is it applied?
The Taboadella Estate, due to the variety of its services, addresses to a wide range of visitors who looking for an experience based on local wine and tradition of the Dão region.
When did it applied?
The business activity of the Amorim family began in 1870.
Results
The Taboadella Estate has received several awards for the quality of its wines and services. In addition to its wine awards, the following distinctions of the winery are indicated:
- “Best Tasting Room” Award for the best tasting room, the most organized, well decorated, creative and sustainable (Portuguese Wine Tourism Association – National Wine Tourism Award 2022).
- “Best Wine Shop” Award for the best wine shop, the most attractive and well decorated, organized, creative, sustainable and with a variety of offer (Portuguese Wine Tourism Association – National Wine Tourism Award 2023).
- Winery Architect Award of Excellence at the 2021 Beijing YUANYE AWARDS Architecture Awards.
Other Information
The official website of the Taboadella Estate is: https://www.taboadella.com/en/
