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Quinta Vale de Camelos
The Alentejo is considered to be the granary of Portugal. Cork and holm oaks create points of contrast in the enormous grain fields.
In 1981, Bremen-born ship owner and seafarer Horst Zeppenfeld fulfilled a dream: He bought around 1,000 hectares of land in the hot, dry Alentejo, the granary of Portugal. It includes the hamlet of Vale de Camelos with a striking church, enormous fields of grain, cork oak woods, sheep pastures, olive and carob bean groves. Wine production was not yet considered in the Alentejo in those days. But now, this region is one of the most innovative. It has contributed significantly to the upturn of Portugal as a wine-producing country.
Rainwater is collected in large ponds and used to irrigate the vines in the summer.
The name “Vale de Camelos” is reminiscent of the time of the Moorish settlement of Portugal when camels still grazed in the Alentejo. Viticulture has been practised on this estate since 2005. Then, 25 hectares of grain-growing land were planted with vines. The varieties planted were primarily typical of the region Touriga Nacional (Portugal's best known red wine grape), Alicante Bouschet and Aragonez (in Spain known as Tempranillo). The vines have been organically cultivated since 2007.
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Horst Zeppenfeld has now passed responsibility for the estate to his daughter Antje and her husband Thorsten Kreikenbaum. On site, business manager Helena Manuel and oenologist Marta Peireira take care of the production of top-quality wines. The Quinta Vale de Camelos is one of the most progressive vineyards in the south of Portugal. The estate is being continuously developed to become a showcase business in terms of permaculture.
Along with vineyards, fields of grain, cork oak woods, sheep pastures, olive and carob bean groves, this small church belongs to the grand estate of Vale de Camelos.
